This Reservoir Was Built to Save Pacific Palisades. It Was Empty When the Flames Came.
A Reckoning Over Firefighting
After flames leveled nearly 500 homes in Bel-Air and Brentwood in 1961, Los Angeles had a reckoning over firefighting. By 1964, city leaders had added 13 fire stations, mapped out fire hydrants, purchased helicopters and dispatched more crews to the Santa Monica Mountains. To accommodate growth in Pacific Palisades, they built a reservoir in Santa Ynez Canyon, as well as a pumping station “to increase fire protection,” as the L.A. Department of Water and Power’s then-chief water engineer, Gerald W. Jones, told The Times in 1972.
A Source of Comfort
In the decades since, the Santa Ynez Reservoir became a source of comfort. “I used to say all the time, ‘Boy, I know one thing that will never happen is our place will burn down,’” said Peggy Holter, who in 1978 purchased a townhouse in Palisades Highlands, just a stone’s throw from the reservoir. “It was the one thing I was never worried about.”
But on Jan. 7, the reservoir that had long been a lifeline was empty when Palisades residents needed it most, as a wildfire spread rapidly amid dangerously high winds.
“I think if the reservoir had been there and they were sucking out of it, I’m sure that our building would have been saved,” said Holter, who lived in a 36-unit condo complex. Holter’s townhouse and others in the complex survived the first night of the fire but later burned down after water pressure in the area diminished. “There’s nothing left.”
Outrage and Investigation
That the 117-million-gallon reservoir was off line for repairs sparked outrage against the DWP and its leadership, prompting at least two lawsuits and spurring Gov. Gavin Newsom to order an investigation. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has also promised a complete assessment of the city’s response to the wildfire, which has destroyed at least 6,380 structures and killed at least 11 people.
The Saga of the Reservoir
The reservoir remains empty, and DWP’s chief of water operations told The Times that the repairs will not be done until April or May. The episode has drawn an urgent question from residents and city leaders: Why was the reservoir empty for nearly a year?
The saga traces back to January 2024, when a DWP property manager spotted a tear in the reservoir’s floating cover after a series of rainstorms, according to internal emails reviewed by The Times. For decades the reservoir sat uncovered, until the city in 2012 installed a large floating membrane to comply with federal regulations. The cover is meant to prevent animals and debris from contaminating the water and to limit algae and bacteria.
Repairs and Bidding Process
When a property manager saw the tear again two days later, it seemed to have grown larger, according to the emails. At the time, the reservoir held about 56 million gallons of water — less than half its capacity. DWP policy calls for minor repairs to the cover to be addressed “within 48 hours of discovery,” according to a maintenance manual for the reservoir. Major repairs, however, require “specialized skills” and are contracted out, the manual indicates.
It’s unclear how the DWP initially assessed the tear, but in either case, the manual reflects urgency: “Make repairs ASAP as directed by the engineer.” By late January, the DWP was developing a plan for repairs and had a target date for bringing the reservoir back, by April 2024, before “higher demands” in the late spring and summer, the emails indicate.
Conclusion
The Palisades fire has left a trail of destruction and heartbreak, and the empty reservoir has become a symbol of the city’s failure to prepare for the worst. As residents begin the long and costly process of rebuilding, they are left to wonder what could have been if the reservoir had been filled and ready to go.
FAQs
Q: Why was the reservoir empty when the fire came?
A: The reservoir was empty because of a tear in its floating cover, which was discovered in January 2024. The DWP initially assessed the tear and decided to drain the reservoir, which took several months to complete.
Q: Why did the DWP take so long to repair the reservoir?
A: The DWP followed its standard bidding process, which requires competitive bids for major repairs. The repair contract was finalized in November 2024, and the work is expected to be completed in April or May.
Q: Would the reservoir have made a difference in the fire?
A: It is unclear whether the reservoir would have made a meaningful difference in the fire. Water systems experts said that with extreme Santa Ana winds that prevented the use of planes and helicopters, the Palisades fire was impossible to control, and municipal water systems aren’t equipped for such blazes.
