Santa Ynez Reservoir, 117 gallon water resource near Pacific PalisadesWas under renovation and when vacant Fire Fires swept through Los Angeles neighborhoods last week and firefighters quickly exhausted available water resources, city officials said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced On Friday he was launching an independent state investigation into the drop in water pressure and unavailability of water from the reservoir. He directed the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) to prepare a “comprehensive review” of its efforts to ensure water supplies are available in emergencies.
Palisades Fire The explosion occurred on Tuesday, January 7, and by 3 a.m., three 1 million gallon water tanks in Pacific Palisades had gone dry.excessive demand“Officials said. strong winds Speeding over 100 mph was prevented air support From helping to extinguishing flames with other water sources,
“There was tremendous demand for our system in the Palisades. We pushed the system to the limit,” Janice Quinones saidthe DWP chief executive and chief engineer said at a press conference on Wednesday. “We saw four times the normal demand for 15 consecutive hours, causing our water pressure to drop.”
Here's what we know about the reservoir and its role in the Palisades water supply system.
Why was the Santa Ynez Reservoir empty when the fire broke out?
The reservoir was taken out of service “to meet safe drinking water regulations,” the DWP said in a statement. statementWater supply polluted due to cracks in reservoir cover The Los Angeles Times reportedDue to which the agency had to end it in February.
“The water system serving the Pacific Palisades area and all of Los Angeles meets all federal and state fire codes for urban development and housing,” the release said.
DWP representatives did not respond to CBS News' further questions about the reservoir. The agency's statement revealed that the reservoir had been empty for almost a year, due to the process of contracting a company to carry out repairs.
“To mobilize the support and resources to implement Santa Ynez repairs, LADWP is subject to the City Charter's competitive bidding process, which requires time,” the statement said.
Some? social media users Falsely claimed, pointing to satellite images as alleged evidence that the reservoir had been lying empty for over a decade. A floating cover In 2011, water was installed on the reservoir, which changed the appearance of the reservoir in satellite imagery, but the reservoir was returned to service in 2011, according to DWP website,
Could the reservoir help fight the fire?
The purpose of the reservoir is to provide water storage “for domestic use and firefighting purposes in the Pacific Palisades area.” City Documents.
The DWP says the agency is conducting its own investigation into its “water resilience”. But experts and officials agree that the extent Forest fire Even if the Santa Ynez Reservoir is full, the city's water supply will be strained.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
In his letter to the DWP, Newsom wrote, “Although water supplies from local fire hydrants are not designed to extinguish wildfires over large areas, losing supply from fire hydrants could jeopardize the safety of some homes and evacuation corridors.” Efforts may be affected.”
David Freberg, Ph.D., a Stanford University hydrologist and water resources expert, told CBS News in an email that although a full Santa Ynez would have benefits, it's not clear how much of an impact it would have.
“The reservoirs above Pacific Palisades were not designed to support large-scale firefighting [this] Fire,” he wrote. “Water supply reservoirs are generally designed to combat home fires, not wildfires.”
He said the situation has made it clear that large-scale solutions are necessary.
“It is clear that communities vulnerable to wildfire will need to think carefully, i.e., rethink, about the design criteria for these systems,” Freiberg said. “Not just the reservoir, but also the size of the pipes [and] “Pressure Management.”