The 2019- 2020 bushfire season in Australia was described as the worst on record, costing 29 lives at the time of writing including 4 firefighters, destroying thousands of homes and killing an estimated one billion native animals. The scale compared to other wildfire disasters in recent history around the world is astonishing [1].

Stock photo from https://pxhere.com/en/photo/849551

Sadly, the devastation would continue well after the fires had gone out with millions of animals without a food source, loss of vegetation contributing to erosion, loss of crops and farms destroying livelihoods and increasing the cost of food, the health costs including a decline in air quality, which in this case had even affected other continents including Antarctica [2], and then the financial cost of rebuilding homes and infrastructure would be estimated to top two billion dollars.

One other after-effect of large scale bushfires we also need to consider is its effect on water supplies. During the fires, ash is often deposited into the water giving it a burnt or smoky taste. [3] Not all home water filters have an effect on the taste aspect but most of them will remove any larger particles. Ground and private tank water in bushfire areas may also be contaminated with fire-fighting chemicals rendering it unsafe for consumption. [4] However, an issue affecting municipal water supplies is that once the rains begin again, marking the end of the Aussie bushfire season, deforestation within catchment areas can cause large amounts of mud, ash and phosphorus amongst other things to be washed into reservoirs. This extra material in the water is a triple whammy for treatment plants and water quality.

All of that extra mud swirling in the water, known as turbidity, can slow water flow and clog equipment, interfering with the water treatment processes. Ash, phosphorous and other organic material washing down from catchment areas makes for great fertilizer which often leads to a sudden increase in algal blooms in dams. The combination of these factors leads to a necessary increase in chlorine treatment to ensure pathogens such as potentially lethal bacteria or viruses do not enter water supplies. [5]

A home water purification system will provide better tasting drinking water as well as peace of mind by removing chlorine and bacteria or viruses that may have survived treatment. A simple jug filter like the Alya PI-06 System is a cost-effective starting point.

A 3 stage filter system provides extra protection with the convenience of clean, filtered water always being available on tap. The first stage usually involves a polypropylene filter to remove larger particles like dirt and rust. The water then passes through a finer grade filter, usually a coconut shell granular activated carbon filter to remove heavy metals and volatile organic compounds, and finally through a very fine biological filter to remove bacteria and other microorganisms.

EZEK has both benchtop and undersink solutions.  EZEK’s BF-250B has an unmatched efficiency of 99.9999% making it one of the top filters in the market. Most other filters only guarantee 99.99% efficiency.

For those who need to have medical level clean water, a Reverse Osmosis system like Clean Pure’s RO-2000 system provides an even higher level of protection by forcing water under pressure through 5 stages of filtration.

These include polypropylene and carbon filtration like a 3 stage system but then add a special CTO (Chlorine, Taste, and Odour) Filter which is much more effective in removing chlorine, and a Reverse Osmosis Membrane which provides the highest standard of water filtration. Then finally through a Post Carbon Filter.

Alya’s ROC-188 and ROC-189 Reverse Osmosis systems are compact units, great for where space is limited.

As a water filter business, we have donated $1000 AUD to NSW RFS in the hope to help their firefighting efforts. For our customers, we promise we will provide only quality products to help them to have safe drinking water.

Call us today on (02) 8840 5177, or email us at sales@ilanwater.com.au, to discuss our range of water filtration systems to provide clean and great tasting drinking water at your home or office.
Australia-wide delivery available!

  1. Bushfires in Australia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushfires_in_Australia
    2019 Siberia wildfires – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Siberia_wildfires
    2019 Amazon wildfires – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Amazon_rainforest_wildfires
    2018 California wildfires – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_California_wildfires
  2. Bushfire smoke from Australia reaches Antarctica – while glaciers in New Zealand turn brown and fiery red sunsets light up the sky in Argentina – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7862093/Bushfire-smoke-Australia-reaches-Antarctica.html
  3. Water catchments are covered in bushfire ash, what will happen when it rains? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-06/ash-rain-threatens-quality-of-drinking-water-and-aquatic-life/11774076
  4. Australia fires: Health warning over drinking water due to contamination https://7news.com.au/news/bushfires/australia-fires-health-warning-over-drinking-water-due-to-contamination-c-637938
  5. Australian water supplies at risk from extreme weather, study finds https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/australian-water-supplies-at-risk-from-extreme-weather-study-finds-20140121-316qw.html
  6. Fears for drinking water as ash turns Sydney’s beaches black https://www.sbs.com.au/news/fears-for-drinking-water-as-ash-turns-sydney-s-beaches-black
  7. Bushfires and water quality https://www.waterquality.gov.au/issues/bushfires