Geochemical data for post-fire surface water, streambed sediment, and soils from areas affected by the 2018 Camp Fire, Butte County, California

During November 2018, the Camp Fire burned more than 150,000 acres in Butte County, California. The fire was the deadliest and most destructive in California history, destroying more than 18,000 structures and causing at least 85 fatalities. The U.S. Geological Survey sampled surface water in areas affected by the Camp Fire, plus an unburned control site, during two post-fire sampling events, January 21-23, 2019 and February 28 - March 1, 2019. During each of those two sampling events, surface-water samples were collected at 8 stream locations. These 16 water samples were filtered using filters with multiple pore sizes (1.2 µm, 0.8 µm, 0.45 µm, and 0.22 µm) to evaluate colloid transport of trace elements. The filtrates were analyzed for 50 major and trace elements by Inductively Coupled Plasma methods. The 0.45 µm filtrates from the January 2019 sampling event were analyzed for 87Sr/86Sr. Field measurements are reported of water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. Data are also reported for the concentration of suspended sediment and the percent of suspended sediment less than 0.0625 mm in diameter in each water sample. During January 21-23, 2019 the USGS team collected streambed sediment at the same 8 locations where water samples were collected. Eleven other samples of fire-affected soils or streambed sediments were collected by USGS during December 2018, January 2019, and March 2019; these sites included soils in close proximity to burned vehicles and structures. Collaborators at California State University, Chico collected water samples at selected stream sites between November 30, 2018 and January 17, 2019 and provided unfiltered split samples to USGS. The USGS recovered suspended particulate solids from these water samples; sufficient particulate material for chemical analysis was recovered from eight of these water samples. The streambed sediments, suspended sediments, and soils were analyzed for 51 major and trace elements by Inductively Coupled Plasma methods and for 87Sr/86Sr.