Drinking Water Quality, Public Confidence, and Communications After Wildfires

Abstract:

Recent wildfires, including the 2025 Los Angeles fires, have demonstrated that restoring drinking water after a disaster requires more than repairing infrastructure. Communities also need timely, credible information to determine when their water is safe to use, yet confidence in tap water has declined nationally and misinformation increasingly shapes public understanding during emergencies.

This workshop synthesis report examines how wildfires affect drinking water quality, public confidence in tap water, and post-disaster communications. Drawing on a May 2026 workshop convened by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, it synthesizes insights from 54 participants representing water systems, regulators, nonprofit and community organizations, journalists, technical experts, and researchers.

The workshop found that effective post-disaster communication depends on trusted relationships established before disasters occur, with community organizations, local media, and other intermediaries playing essential roles alongside water utilities. Participants also identified significant research and policy needs, including better understanding how long wildfire-related declines in tap water confidence persist, improving communications in an increasingly fragmented information environment, and providing water systems with the funding, flexibility, and technical capacity needed to restore service and public confidence after major fires.