LA Times Reports Major Pacific Palisades Reservoir Was Offline And Empty When Fires Broke Out
The Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that a major reservoir in the Pacific Palisades was offline and empty this week when devastating wildfires ravaged the LA-area community.
Staff reporter Matt Hamilton spoke to local officials who told “the Times that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117 million gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades.”
The report added that the “revelation comes among growing questions about why firefighters ran out of water while battling the blaze. Numerous fire hydrants in higher-elevation streets of the Palisades went dry, leaving firefighters struggling with low water pressure as they combated the flames.”
Reports of low water pressure and fire hydrants running dry have run rampant in recent days as finger-pointing over the scope of the devastation has already ramped up.
“NO WATER IN THE FIRE HYDRANTS, NO MONEY IN FEMA. THIS IS WHAT JOE BIDEN IS LEAVING ME. THANKS JOE!” Trump raged on Truth Social on Wednesday as he repeatedly attacked Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and President Joe Biden.
Hamilton spoke to LA Department of Water and Power officials who confirmed that “demand for water during an unprecedented fire made it impossible to maintain any pressure to hydrants at high elevations.”
He also spoke to ex-DWP general manager Martin Adams and asked whether or not the Santa Ynez reservoir being full would have made a difference.
“You still would have ended up with serious drops in pressure,” Adams told the Times.
Hamilton pressed, “Would Santa Ynez [Reservoir] have helped?”
“Yes, to some extent. Would it have saved the day? I don’t think so,” Adams replied.
The fires were fueled by high winds and dry conditions throughout the region. Storm chaser Colin McCarthy explained the perfect storm of events that led to the disastrous conditions that were not mitigated by local officials, writing that “after Los Angeles experienced its second-wettest two-year period on record. Since April, it has barely rained in Southern California, leaving the massive buildup of vegetation bone dry. Now, one of the strongest Santa Ana wind events in modern history is expected, with winds reaching up to 100 mph. This is essentially a worst-case scenario.”