The Los Angeles City Council member representing the Westside, including much of the area decimated by the Palisades fire, called on the city’s water utility Tuesday to explain why firefighters ran out of water early in last week’s epic firefight and why a key reservoir was offline.
Councilmember Traci Park proposed that the L.A. Department of Water and Power present “its root cause analysis of the water pressure challenges that resulted in lower water pressure and dry hydrants,” in some areas of Pacific Palisades, as well as recommendations for addressing the issues. In the same motion, Park urged the council to ask the utility to explain why the Santa Ynez Reservoir in Pacific Palisades has been out of commission for months.
In a unanimous vote, the council approved the measure.
Park cited The Times’ reporting on how fire hydrants ran dry in some areas of Pacific Palisades, hampering firefighting efforts, and how the reservoir, which could have provided more water, has been closed for repairs for nearly a year.
The efforts come four days after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a state investigation into the causes behind water supply problems during the most destructive firestorm in L.A. history.
A spokesman for DWP did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the utility said last week that it welcomed Newsom’s inquiry. “An investigation will help identify any new needed capabilities for water systems to support fighting wildfires,” DWP spokesperson Ellen Cheng said Friday.
In a separate motion, which also passed unanimously, Park called for establishing a formal system in which DWP provides the L.A. Fire Department with “weekly updates” on the status of reservoirs and critical infrastructure.
“These weekly updates should include detailed information on the location, status and projected timeline for restoring any offline infrastructure, ensuring the LAFD is fully informed of any potential gaps in water resources that may impact firefighting capabilities during emergencies,” the motion read in part. Councilmember John Lee, who represents the northwest San Fernando Valley including Chatsworth and Porter Ranch, joined Park in presenting the motion.
The council sought answers about the extended shutdown of the Santa Ynez Reservoir, in the Highlands area of Pacific Palisades, after The Times reported that the facility has been offline since February 2024.
The reservoir, which has a capacity of 117 million gallons, was drained to repair its floating cover. The repairs have not yet been completed, although a contract for about $130,000 was issued to a Lakeside-based firm to handle the repairs. The reservoir also was drained in 2022 for repairs to the floating cover.
DWP officials have acknowledged that had the reservoir been up and running as the Palisades fire broke out Jan. 7, it would have augmented water pressure. Former DWP general manager Martin Adams told The Times that the reservoir would have helped, but would not have been a panacea to a system that was strained by tremendous demand.
“It might have deferred the inevitable, but without doing calculations, its hard to know by how much,” Adams said. “It wouldn’t have lasted forever and would not have been a fix all.”
LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley has told reporters she was unaware the reservoir was offline.
If the reservoir had been online, the additional water might have helped save homes here and there, but it would not have changed the “order of magnitude” of the destruction, because of the intensity of the fire and the limitations of the water system, said Tom Kennedy, a water consultant and former general manager of Rainbow Municipal Water District in San Diego County.
“The pipelines are too small… It wouldn’t have made any difference to the main thrust of the fire,” Kennedy said. “A wind-driven wildfire like this is going to consume all the fuel in its path until the winds die down or the humidity changes.”
DWP has a network of reservoirs across the city — including in Bel-Air, Encino and the Hollywood Hills — that are uncovered and used by helicopters to refill during fires. Because its part of the city’s drinking water supply, the Santa Ynez Reservoir is covered, but it does have a helipad and refill station that helicopters also can use during firefighting.
Firefighters reported that several hydrants in Pacific Palisades ran dry Tuesday and early Wednesday as the blaze overtook the community, ultimately destroying more than 5,000 structures.
DWP contends that about 20% of its nearly 1,100 hydrants in the area ran dry, a figure based on the number of hydrants that rely on a network of 1-million-gallon tanks to sustain their water pressure. At lower elevations, most hydrants worked, according to DWP.
In Altadena, which is served by a different utility, firefighters encountered similar problems with low water pressure as they tried to slow the spread of the Eaton fire. Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said having dozens of fire engines battling multiple fires amid tremendous wind gusts resulted in overuse of the water system, and that the issues had resolved by Thursday.
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