Fire and water: Environmental health challenges of the Zumwalt brush fire

In the early morning hours of 26 December 2006, an immense brush pile caught fire on private property near the city limits of San Antonio, Texas. What was initially thought to be a manageable mulch fire, rapidly evolved into a wider local environmental problem. The immediate and continued threat to the public health of thousands of local residents resulted from the production of significant quantities of smoke and ash over a period of months. After the state regulatory agency moved in, mobilizing resources to extinguish the fire, it was discovered that the initial operations and water use posed another threat of contamination to the Edwards Aquifer, which represents the sole source of drinking water for over 1.4 million people living in Bexar County. A consensus approach had to be developed to eliminate the smoke hazard while preventing significant contamination of such an important water supply. This situation created a number of considerable environmental and public health challenges including: inter-jurisdictional responsibilities; risk communication and education of the public; characterization of health threats from air particulate matter and water contaminants; and the unique benefits and vulnerabilities of a karst aquifer supplying the water needs of a large urban population.