Webinar series - Fueling discovery with USGS Wildland Fire Science

Potential Compound Hazards of Wildfire and Legacy Mine Waste in the Western United States

Friday, November 13, 2026 at 11am PT/2pm ET

Speaker: Brian Ebel, Research Hydrologist, USGS Water Resources Mission Area

Description: Wildfire and legacy mine waste can independently pose water quality hazards through increases in availability and transport of sediment and metals. When two hazards overlap in space and time, the resulting compound hazard may exacerbate or dampen consequences. The compound hazard of the intersection of wildfire and legacy mine waste may enhance the magnitude, extent, and duration of metals mobilization into receiving waters, thereby affecting water supply. The western United States of America is a potential hotspot of overlap for legacy mine features and growing wildfire hazard. This webinar presents a geospatial reconnaissance of the convergence of legacy mine features with areas burned by wildfires from 1984 through 2024, and with areas of moderate-to-very-high wildfire hazard. This reconnaissance can (1) identify regions and watersheds for investigations of the severity and extent of mobilization of metals following wildfires, (2) pinpoint wildfire-prone sites to conduct pre-wildfire measurements to separate relative increases in metals mobilization when wildfire and mining converge compared to legacy mining alone. The reconnaissance represents an initial foundation to better understand potential wildfire and legacy mine waste effects on water supply.

This webinar is free and open to natural resource professionals, scientists, and anyone interested in understanding wildfire science and management.