Testing L.A.’s oceans and rivers after the 2025 wildfires
Measuring water quality post-wildfires to understand potential health and environmental risks.
USC Launched 2025
Share this page
Partners
When L.A. had questions about water safety in the wake of the 2025 wildfires, we expanded our CLEAN research to help provide answers.
Following the 2025 wildfires, some contaminants briefly increased in local waters — raising understandable concerns about safety and environmental health. To understand what’s truly happening, we’re partnering with Surfrider LA and HealTheBay to collect samples and track heavy metals, nutrients, and chemicals across beaches, rivers, and inland waterways throughout the year.
We’re working with UC Riverside to analyze our samples, and what we’ve found so far is reassuring. While a few measures rose shortly after the fires, levels declined quickly and are now all below EPA thresholds. Nutrient changes aligned with seasonal ocean upwelling rather than fire activity, and chemicals like PFOS dropped sharply after early spikes — suggesting limited, short-lived impacts rather than ongoing contamination.
Meet the project team
Max Teirstein
Project Manager
Research team
Noelle Held
Assistant Professor
USC Department of Biological Sciences, Marine and Environmental Biology
Mia Franks
PhD Candidate
USC Department of Biological Sciences, Ocean Sciences
Daniel Petras
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
UC Riverside, Biochemistry Department
Related Projects
- USC
Greening L.A.’s hottest streets
Bringing more trees, shade, and fresh air to L.A. by identifying where, what kind, and how many trees to plant for the biggest impact.
- USC
Tracking climate stories on screen
Tracking how climate stories impact the TV and film industry—and how they shape audience perceptions of climate change.
- USC
Decreasing healthcare worker burnout
Creating a new support system to improve well-being for some of society’s most critical people: clinicians and caregivers.