As climate change spawns hotter and drier conditions, scientists are warning that intense and repeated wildfires could affect the quantity and quality of water available. Research shows that wildfires are getting bigger and more destructive as climate change intensifies drought conditions and creates large areas of dry fuels that are more likely to ignite and carry fire. High-intensity wildfires can increase the susceptibility of watersheds to runoff and erosion and can have detrimental impacts on water supplies, including increased treatment costs, need for alternative supplies and diminished reservoir capacity. These impacts can last anywhere from months to years after a wildfire has been contained. …But high-intensity wildfires can remove vegetation and reduce the ability of soils to take up water, according to Ge Sun, a hydrologist with the U.S. Forest Service and professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources.