Tap water can be safely consumed in areas provided by all nine water systems that have prompted a notification that damage from the Palisade fires in the Altadena and Pacific Ocean “do not drink,” state regulators said Friday.
Las Flores Water Co., Altadena’s last water operator with such a notice, was cleared to resume drinking water supply on Friday, four months after the notice was issued, lifting the “do not drink” and “do not boil” recommendations.
When reopening with water, Las Flores can take a variety of steps to flush out the home system, such as operating all faucets for at least five minutes before use.
Officials with the state’s Water Resources Management Board said they did so to assess the damage, test for potential pollution and ensure water services could be safely reopened.
“Restoring drinking water services is one of the most important steps in any disaster recovery,” said E. Joaquin Esquivel, chairman of the state water committee. “The lifting of all drinking water recommendations marks a major milestone in post-fire recovery.”
During and after the fire, the state issued “do not drink” and “do not boil” orders and requested local utilities to start a test system for post-fire contaminants.
According to state estimates, around 23,000 water customers were affected by the Pacific Palisade and Altadena notifications.
One contaminant of certain concerns can benzene, a carcinogen found in plastics and treated construction wood, and enter the water system when pressure is lost during a fire. Residents can be exposed by drinking contaminated water or by inhaling benzene, which enters the air when tap water heats or boils.
To reestablish safe water, the utility first restores pressure to the system by keeping thousands of connections open frequently after a fire. They then go through a cycle of washing water to remove residual contaminant pipes and see if contamination remains. This process is repeated until the system looks nice.
The Los Angeles Water and Power Department has restored safe drinking water.
Two of Altadena’s three major customer-owned water operators tracked the Rubio Cañon Land and Water Association on March 11th and the Lincoln Avenue Water Company on March 13th.
Several other utilities quickly unstoppable “do not drink” orders without detecting contaminants in the system.
Las Flores Water Co. had restored service to some customers by mid-February. However, in the hilly areas, Las Flores infrastructure suffered significant damage, preventing the company from supplying water to most of its service area.
On March 26th, Las Flores and Lincoln Avenue completed the connection between the two utilities, allowing the water supply on Lincoln Avenue to flow into the service area of Las Flores. This allowed Las Flores to begin the test and flushing cycle. This was the peak of our determination to be safe for water.
Gregory Pierce, director of UCLA Water Resources Group, said the service recovery reflects not only the differences in water operators, but the substantial efforts each has put into effect.
“It really depends on the system, but there’s still a lot to do to rebuild the system, especially with some small sized systems,” Pierce says. This is complicated by limited federal funding compared to past fires, and pressure on state budgets, as well as lack of incoming local revenues from the water system.
California’s environmental secretary Jana Garcia said the state “focused on helping to recover and rebuild the community” following the fire.
“That includes bringing back essential water infrastructure online,” Garcia said.
