Officials only recently began discovering how widespread water system contamination can be after wildfires. The federal standard for benzene levels considered unsafe is 5 parts per billion. California's threshold is 1 ppb. Following are 12 examples.
| Maximum Benzene Level | Event/Location | Population Affected | System Name | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Echo Mountain Fire/Oregon | 120 | Whispering Pines Mobile Home Park | 2020 |
| 11 | Echo Mountain Fire/Oregon | 362 | Hiland WC - Echo Mountain | 2020 |
| 1 | Echo Mountain Fire/Oregon | 760 | Panther Creek Water District | 2020 |
| 76 | Almeda Fire/Oregon | 6,850 | City of Talent | 2020 |
| 45 | Lionshead Fire/Oregon | 205 | Detroit Water System | 2020 |
| 2 | CZU Lightning Complex Fire/California | 1,650 | Big Basin Water Company | 2020 |
| 42 | CZU Lightning Complex Fire/California | 21,145 | San Lorenzo Water District | 2020 |
| 2,217 | Camp Fire/California | 26,032 | Paradise Irrigation District | 2018 |
| 38 | Camp Fire/California | 924 | Del Oro Water Co.-Magalia | 2018 |
| 8 | Camp Fire/California | 1,106 | Del Oro Water Co.-Lime Saddle | 2018 |
| 530 | Camp Fire/California | 11,324 | Del Oro Water Co.-Paradise Pines | 2018 |
| 40,000 | Tubbs Fire/California | 175,000 | City of Santa Rosa | 2017 |
