Palisades Fire Victims Sue LADWP: 'Water Supply System Failed Miserably'

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — Survivors of the catastrophic Palisades Fire have failed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power over water supply issues, claiming they hindered the ability to battle the deadly blaze.

"The water supply system servicing Pacific Palisades failed miserably, leaving residents and firefighters with little to no water to fight the blaze," said Roger Behle, one of the Plaintiffs' attorneys. "As a result, residents in one of the most affluent and highest-taxed areas in the nation were denied one of the most basic things a government should provide: water."

The lawsuit references the Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117-million-gallon water storage complex that was empty at the time the fire broke out. The reservoir had been closed for a time for repairs to its cover, it is unknown how long the complex had been out of service for.

In a statement issued last week, the DWP said the utility "was required to take the Santa Ynez Reservoir out of service to meet safe drinking water regulations. To commission the support and resources to implement repairs to Santa Ynez, LADWP is subject to the city charter's competitive bidding process which requires time.

"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. LADWP built the Pacific Palisades water system beyond the requirements to support the community's typical needs."

DWP officials said a drop in water pressure experienced by fire crews was "due to unprecedented and extreme water demand to fight the wildfire without aerial support. This impacted our ability to refill the three water tanks supplying the Palisades causing the loss of suction pressure. This
impacted 20 percent of the hydrants in the area, mostly in the higher elevations."

The Palisades Fire ignited at about 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 and quickly grew to become the worst natural disaster in the history of the City of Los Angeles. The fire has burned nearly 24,000 acres and destroyed at least 5,300 structures, including iconic restaurants, schools and homes.

On Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered an investigation into Los Angeles' public water infrastructure due to complications while firefighters battled destructive wildfires.

Newsom requested that LADWP and LA County officials prepare a comprehensive review examining their local preparation and response procedures to ensure available water supply for emergencies.

Officials were instructed to document any causes of the loss of water pressure and unavailability of water supplies. The state will conduct an after-incident review to identify measures that local governments can implement to provide adequate resources in times of extreme emergency and future catastrophic events.

City News Service contributed to this report.