Wildfires don’t just burn farmland − they can contaminate the water farmers use to irrigate crops and support livestock

A water pipe that was used to carry water to livestock crosses land burned in the Maui fires in August 2023. Andrew Whelton/Purdue University, CC BY-ND

The wildfires that burned across Maui, Hawaii, in August 2023 became the deadliest conflagration in the United States in more than a century. While the harm to homes and tourism drew the most attention, agriculture was also heavily affected across the island, and the harm did not stop once the flames were out.

In some cases, fires smoldered underground for weeks. Water systems were destroyed, and some were contaminated in ways scientists are only beginning to understand.