- Title:
-
The Ecotoxicity of Fire-water Runoff Part Three: Proposed framework for risk management
- Date:
- August 2001
- Organisations
- NZFS
- Authors:
- Dr Jefferson Fowles
- Location:
- New Zealand, New Zealand
Overview
Water runoff from fire scenes is generally acutely toxic to aquatic ecosystems. The magnitude of the hazards posed by different types of buildings and facilities varies substantially, depending on the size of the structure, the extent of the burn, and the materials contained within it. The literature review for this project found that fire runoff was responsible for significant damage to surface water ecosystems in a number of overseas fires, especially those occurring at chemical manufacturing plants or storage warehouses located near rivers and streams. In-the-field sampling of common house and small business fires conducted in this project represented a significant but comparatively lower acute toxic hazard. The literature review and field sampling of runoff in the current study are consistent with one another and assist in the setting of hazard ranking priorities for an ecotoxicology risk management framework. The key elements involved in the prioritisation of these hazards and risks are described in this report. The framework generally consists of the following key elements:
- Hazard ranking (for facilities)
- Sensitive resource identification (for ecosystems)
- Risk ranking (based on geographic overlap of the above)
- Pollution prevention plans implemented for high risk sites
A wide consultation with appropriate local authorities and ecological resource managers is encouraged to form this framework. An important aspect that would facilitate implementation of a risk management framework is the use of computer based spatial analytical tools (i.e. geographic information systems) to locate critical areas for ensuring that prevention and management plans are in place.
