To support fire management, preparation and response efforts, water suppliers require predictive tools to understand the potential water quality impacts of specific burn scenarios. Given the unpredictable nature of bushfires, and the logistical difficulties of post-event sampling, catchment modelling offers the most practicable means of quantifying fire-related contaminant mobilisation at the landscape scale. Modelled estimates of sediment, nutrients and metal export would strengthen the evidence base available to guide strategic planning, catchment fire management, risk assessment and incident response. This would ultimately improve the capacity for utilities to maintain a safe and secure water supply following future bushfire events.
This project will combine learnings and catchment data from the past bushfires across the nation and create modelling tool(s) with options for localised parameterisation and approaches. Existing modelling tools already being used by different utilities provide an excellent starting point to develop integration opportunities into the Source platform.
