Empty reservoir not a key factor

The state cites water system limitations, not the drained container, in Palisades fire toll.

- BY IAN JAMES

THE SANTA YNEZ Reservoir was empty at the time of the Palisades blaze.

(MYUNG J. CHUN Los Angeles Times)

In January, when crews fighting the fast-spreading Palisades fire were hampered by low water pressure and dry hydrants, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered an investigation.

After a 10-month review, California officials concluded in a report that the water supply in Southern California was “robust” at the time of the fire and that the water system isn’t designed to handle such large, intense wildfires.

The state’s findings, released Thursday, also address an issue that has been a point of frustration and anger among residents in Pacific Palisades: the fact that the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which can hold 117 million gallons of drinking water, was empty for repairs at the time of the fire.

“Draining the Santa Ynez reservoir was necessary to protect public health while repairing the tear in its cover and required by both federal and state regulations,” the report says. Even if the reservoir had been full, the flow rate in the system's pipes “would have been a limiting factor in maintaining pressure and the system would have been quickly overwhelmed” and hydrants would have lost pressure.

The state’s findings are in line with what L.A. water officials have said about the reservoir, the water system and the factors that caused the loss of water pressure.

“The report confirms that the Santa Ynez Reservoir was offline to make necessary repairs and that issues with water pressure during the fire response were due to the extraordinary demand on the system, not because of inadequate water supply,” said Ellen Cheng, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.