Water mapping for more effective forest fire fighting

The value of proactive water mapping

From Emily Jerome, Living Lakes Canada

In mid-July, nearly 500 wildfires were sparked by lightning strikes across Canada. In the BRITISH MOUNTAINS above the small rural community of Argenta, three lightning strikes set fire to parched vegetation. The Argenta Creek wildfire was discovered the following day, July 18, and burned through dense stands of lodgepole pine and spruce.

A month earlier, Living Lakes Canada, in partnership with the community's volunteer fire department, the Argenta Safety and Preparedness Society (ASAP), released an updated resource. Water Resources for Wildfire Suppression provides comprehensive digital maps that identify all available water sources in the Argenta and Johnsons Landing area of ​​the West Kootenays, as well as high-pressure standpipes, ideal locations for pumping in rivers, building and home locations, and access routes.

“When our team first shared the maps, both the digital and large paper versions, with the provincial team on the ground, they were blown away,” said Rik Valentine, ASAP team leader, basic wildfire and safety certification instructor and co-author of the resource. “No one had ever seen anything like it.”

Easy access to local information about water sources is critical for firefighting crews, especially those traveling from outside the region or country. By compiling, digitizing, and transforming local information into interactive maps, the collaboration between ASAP and Living Lakes helped crews quickly orient themselves and get a sense of the situation at a critical moment.

“This resource combines local knowledge with Living Lakes Canada’s technical knowledge of water monitoring and mapping,” said Rik. “It played an important role between ASAP and the BC Wildfire Service to protect the community.”

Kootenay Watershed Science (KWS) began monitoring watersheds in the North Kootenay Lake region in 2012 and continued monitoring after KWS joined Living Lakes Canada's Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Framework (CBWMF). The CBWMF is a coordinated monitoring network that tracks how climate change and other impacts affect water supplies for communities and ecosystems in Canada's Columbia Basin region.

“We have over a decade of water data at our fingertips. By working with Rik and ASAP, Living Lakes was able to collect and digitize the knowledge ASAP had accumulated over many years of landscape research and wildland fire management planning and practice. By bringing all of this together, we have collectively created a practical, field-deployable tool that has found immediate, valuable application,” said Paul Saso, hydrologist at Living Lakes and co-author of the resource.

The Argenta Creek wildfire raged dangerously close to the community, prompting an evacuation order, but thanks to collective efforts, only a small building was lost.

Argenta Creek wildfire with the community spreading out on the bank beneath the flames. Taken just before the evacuation began on July 24 at 11:30 p.m. © Jim Lawrence

According to a statement from the BC Wildfire Service, “Living Lakes Canada, in partnership with ASAP, collected important local intelligence about the Argenta and Johnsons Landing region well in advance of a potential wildfire. Preparation tools like these assist the BC Wildfire Service's coordination and partnership with local and fire resources in their efforts to support response efforts in a community.”

“The collaboration to develop these resources was critical to the BC Wildfire Service's ability to fight the Argenta Creek wildfire. It's an incredible story that will surely change the way the province manages emergencies in remote communities,” said Aimee Watson, board chair and Area D manager for the Regional District of Central Kootenay and a member of the Local Government Advisory Committee on Emergency and Disaster Management Act Regulations. “This is the new template that others can learn from.”

About Living Lakes Canada:

Living Lakes Canada is a national non-profit organization based in the Columbia Basin of British Columbia that works to protect Canada's freshwater for the long term. For more information, visit.