The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to inspect nearly 100 drinking water reservoirs and storage tanks over concerns about improper maintenance, the agency announced Thursday.
The EPA identified violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act, such as unprotected openings and inconsistent storage system cleaning, during a July 2024 inspection, according to a news release.
The LADWP said in a statement that it entered into a consent order with the EPA on Dec. 3 to resolve concerns raised from the EPA’s 2024 inspection of 18 water storage tanks without litigation.
The consent order did not cite evidence of water contamination, but noted that if left unaddressed these deficiencies could pose a risk for contamination.
“It is important to note that extensive water quality data shows that the drinking water LADWP serves to customers has met, and continues to meet, all federal and state drinking water standards,” the utility said.
Under the order, the utility has until Dec. 31, 2031, to inspect nearly 100 reservoirs and storage tanks and take action to address any deficiencies found, according to the EPA. It must also conduct interior cleaning of more than 50 reservoirs where there are gaps in documentation or time since the last cleaning was recorded.
“Public water systems must properly maintain their infrastructure to ensure that the water flowing out of their customers’ taps continues to be safe,” Amy Miller, EPA Pacific Southwest enforcement and compliance assurance division director, said in a statement. “EPA’s priority is to make sure LADWP promptly addresses these vulnerabilities to protect the millions who depend on this system.”
The EPA found unprotected openings at all 18 tanks inspected, according to the consent order. LADWP provided the EPA with inspection records for 81 of its 92 drinking water storage sites, which showed that 56 sites either did not have reported inspection data or had not been inspected for 10 or more years, according to the order.
The announcement comes amid months of criticism from the Trump administration over California and Los Angeles’ water management systems during the Palisades and Eaton fires.
In September, U.S. Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) launched a congressional investigation into the response to the Palisades fire, with a major focus on the Santa Ynez Reservoir being empty for repairs when some fire hydrants lost pressure and ran dry. A state review released last month found that even if the reservoir had been full, the water system still would have quickly lost pressure because of the limited capacity of pipes in the area.
Gregory Pierce, director of the UCLA Water Resources Group, said it is unusual but not unprecedented for a local agency to enter into a consent order with the federal government over violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
“I do not see many [consent orders] for drinking water systems, and I do not see many announced in this way for issues that, yes should be addressed, but are not of severe concern, especially since there is no evidence of contamination,” he said.
“I have no reason to think that this consent order would have happened if not for the politics between the federal government and the administration and the city of L.A.,” he added.
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