Several weeks later, 2,000 Pacific Palisades residents finally have safe drinking water again
Nearly two months after a deadly wildfire broke out, 2,000 residents in the Pacific Palisades finally have access to safe drinking water again, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday.
It marks just one step in a long road to recovery and rebuilding in the coastal community where the Palisades Fire burned through thousands of acres before spreading to other areas of LA. Altogether, 12 people lost their lives and nearly 7,000 structures were completely destroyed, from neighborhoods of homes to beloved landmarks along the Pacific Coast Highway.
On Monday, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced that residents who have faced warnings against drinking tap water — as fire-related outages remain and cleanups of toxic debris continue — can now check online to see if their water is safe to drink again. The LADWP website now has a map online showing what areas are still facing "Do Not Drink" notices. The new so-called Palisades Water Quality Restoration Dashboard also has a listing of area codes and water testing results for those places.
Mayor Bass said power has been restored to most Pacific Palisades homes and businesses in the area, where that access is possibly given the widespread damage and ongoing cleanup efforts. Her announcement Tuesday comes as the political fallout continues over her decision to remove LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who defended her leadership in a statement over the weekend.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez said she was "outraged" over the firing and called "scapegoating," a sentiment shared by United Firefighters of Los Angeles City President Freddy Escobar. Meanwhile, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson — who was acting mayor when the Palisades Fire broke out since Bass was on a trip abroad — has supported Crowley's removal.
LAWDP has faced criticism of its own, particularly over the fact that the 117-million-gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir was empty and under renovation at the time. Stories have surfaced of people finding dry hydrants and hoses as the wildfire began sweeping through the Palisades, such as a woman who said she couldn't get water to come out of a hose as she tried saving her son 32-year-old son. Rory Sykes, a former child actor who was blind and had cerebral palsy, lost his life in the fire.
Gov. Gavin Newsom called for an independent investigation into what caused such losses of crucial water pressure and water supplies, directly addressing LADWP CEO Janisse Quinones and LA County Public Works Director Mark Pastrella in a letter three days after the Palisades Fire started.
"The ongoing reports of the loss of water pressure to some local fire hydrants during the fires and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir are deeply troubling to me and the community, " Newsom wrote in the Jan. 10 letter. "We need answers to know how that happened.
Days later, the LA City Council meeting followed suit and ordered an analysis of the city's water infrastructure.
Residents have also filed lawsuits against LAWDP over the handling of water supplies. Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times reported the department had retained a top law firm with a three-year, $10-million contract to handle the litigation. The agreement was formally approved this month but the firm was hired by the city of LA five days after the fire started, the Times reported.
