section_path: Impact/Water supply
section_name: Water supply
paragraph_text: Water supply
  
  Although the three water tanks in the Pacific Palisades area had been filled to their capacity of about 1 million US gallons (3,800 m 3) each, those supplies were exhausted by the early morning of January 8. Dozens of hydrants in the Pacific Palisades were reported by firefighting personnel to have little to no water flow during initial efforts to control the Palisades Fire. The chief executive officer of the LADWP, Janisse Quiñones, reported that all fire hydrants in the area "went dry" by around 3 a.m. PST on January 8. The emptying of water tanks worsened the lack of pressure in the city's trunk lines to transport water to higher areas, with firefighters being unable to reach pump stations to aid transport due to the fire spreading out of control. Additionally, the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which has a capacity of 117 million US gallons (440,000 m 3), had been emptied for repairs in February 2024; had it been available, the water pressure may have lasted for longer.
  
  The department stated that high winds made it impossible to fight the fire from the air, putting inordinate pressure on the fire hydrant system. Quiñones reported that the response to the fires caused "tremendous demand on our system", with "the public water system faced four times its usual demand". Supplies for firefighting were "being emptied three times in less than 24 hours". The Fire Department was forced to add 75 cubic feet (2,100 L) per second on its water lines in order to maintain enough water pressure. Firefighters resorted to delegating construction personnel to transport water tanks to areas requiring them. LA County Public Works director Mark Pestrella requested that evacuating residents turn off their water and gas lines so more water could go to firefighting efforts. It was reported that firefighters had begun using pools for water.
  
  The Pasadena Water and Power department released a "Water Alert" on January 8 due to debris and elevated turbidity in the water supply to not drink the water untreated in the area and to not drink tap water. The LADWP issued boil-water notices in multiple areas of the Pacific Palisades on the same day, including for the 90272 and 90402 ZIP Code areas and their adjacent areas. They said that benzene and other volatile organic compounds have the potential to enter the local water system. A County Public Works director, Mark Pestrella, reported "significant damage" to Los Angeles county's sewer systems in addition to its power and transportation systems, each due to massive amounts of debris and thousands of felled trees caused by the fires and corresponding windstorm.
  
  Various sources, such as Fox News, Turning Point USA, and RT, falsely attributed the water shortage to the destruction of 4 hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River in 2023/24. Fox News host Jesse Watters linked the crises to the removal of the dams, while RT said their dismantling "is now being blamed for the shortage of water available to fight LA fires". President-elect Donald Trump posted on social media that Governor Newsom had "refused to sign the water restoration declaration" that would have brought water from the North to the South of California. However, Southern California has never received water from those dams, which are over 500 miles north of Los Angeles County, with claims that the removal of the dams affected the South's supply being incorrect as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California does not take water from the Klamath River area.
  
  Although the three water tanks in the Pacific Palisades area had been filled to their capacity of about 1 million US gallons (3,800 m 3) each, those supplies were exhausted by the early morning of January 8. Dozens of hydrants in the Pacific Palisades were reported by firefighting personnel to have little to no water flow during initial efforts to control the Palisades Fire. The chief executive officer of the LADWP, Janisse Quiñones, reported that all fire hydrants in the area "went dry" by around 3 a.m. PST on January 8. The emptying of water tanks worsened the lack of pressure in the city's trunk lines to transport water to higher areas, with firefighters being unable to reach pump stations to aid transport due to the fire spreading out of control. Additionally, the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which has a capacity of 117 million US gallons (440,000 m 3), had been emptied for repairs in February 2024; had it been available, the water pressure may have lasted for longer.
  
  The department stated that high winds made it impossible to fight the fire from the air, putting inordinate pressure on the fire hydrant system. Quiñones reported that the response to the fires caused "tremendous demand on our system", with "the public water system faced four times its usual demand". Supplies for firefighting were "being emptied three times in less than 24 hours". The Fire Department was forced to add 75 cubic feet (2,100 L) per second on its water lines in order to maintain enough water pressure. Firefighters resorted to delegating construction personnel to transport water tanks to areas requiring them. LA County Public Works director Mark Pestrella requested that evacuating residents turn off their water and gas lines so more water could go to firefighting efforts. It was reported that firefighters had begun using pools for water.
  
  The Pasadena Water and Power department released a "Water Alert" on January 8 due to debris and elevated turbidity in the water supply to not drink the water untreated in the area and to not drink tap water. The LADWP issued boil-water notices in multiple areas of the Pacific Palisades on the same day, including for the 90272 and 90402 ZIP Code areas and their adjacent areas. They said that benzene and other volatile organic compounds have the potential to enter the local water system. A County Public Works director, Mark Pestrella, reported "significant damage" to Los Angeles county's sewer systems in addition to its power and transportation systems, each due to massive amounts of debris and thousands of felled trees caused by the fires and corresponding windstorm.
  
  Various sources, such as Fox News, Turning Point USA, and RT, falsely attributed the water shortage to the destruction of 4 hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River in 2023/24. Fox News host Jesse Watters linked the crises to the removal of the dams, while RT said their dismantling "is now being blamed for the shortage of water available to fight LA fires". President-elect Donald Trump posted on social media that Governor Newsom had "refused to sign the water restoration declaration" that would have brought water from the North to the South of California. However, Southern California has never received water from those dams, which are over 500 miles north of Los Angeles County, with claims that the removal of the dams affected the South's supply being incorrect as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California does not take water from the Klamath River area.