Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency in Walla Walla County on Wednesday due to wildfire damage to the Mill Creek Watershed, which supplies drinking water for approximately 35,000 residents.
The Paradise Fire, which began in mid-July, has burned more than 8,000 acres across Walla Walla and Columbia counties, including portions of the 21,440-acre Mill Creek Watershed. The City of Walla Walla relies on the watershed as its primary drinking water source.
The fire threatens to contaminate the watershed with ash and sediment, which the city's water treatment plant cannot remove. The wildfire will also change watershed conditions and increase the risk of flooding, landslides, debris flows, and sedimentation, according to the governor's proclamation.
Ferguson's emergency declaration allows Walla Walla to seek federal assistance to address both immediate and long-term impacts to the water supply and flood risk. The governor visited the incident command center at Walla Walla Community College for a briefing on Wednesday.
The emergency declaration comes after Ferguson declared a statewide wildfire emergency on August 1. That proclamation prohibits most outdoor and agricultural burning through September 30 and gives the state access to additional resources through a nationwide mutual aid system. Ferguson has also sent a letter to the U.S. Treasury Secretary requesting disaster tax relief and a one-year postponement of federal tax deadlines for people affected by Washington's wildfires.