"... the Los Angeles Times found," in
"State to probe why Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline, empty when firestorm exploded" (L.A. Times).
Officials said that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed since about February for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117-million-gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades for nearly a year. The revelation comes amid growing questions about why firefighters ran out of water while battling the blaze, which ignited Tuesday during catastrophically high winds....
Emptying of the reservoir began in February after a tear in the floating cover measuring several feet allowed debris, bird droppings and other objects to enter the water supply. [The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power] drained the site to avoid contamination and comply with water regulations. DWP sought bids for the repair in April, at a cost of up to $89,000. In November, the utility signed off on a contract with a Lakeside firm for about $130,000, records show. The status of the repairs is unclear. The DWP’s employee union leader condemned the months-long wait to restore the reservoir.
“It’s completely unacceptable that this reservoir was empty for almost a year for minor repairs,” Gus Corona, business manager of IBEW Local 18, said in an interview with The Times. “This work should have been done in-house, and they shouldn’t have depended on a contractor to do it,” he said. “I truly believe it’s something that could have been avoided.”...
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90 comments:
This is just one reason why Bass and Newsom must be recalled from office. The buck has to stop somewhere. Clean house. Drain the swamp. End one-party rule.
Lying MFers?
“For those wondering how long the Santa Ynez Reservoir has been empty the answer is June 2009. Go to Google Earth and locate Santa Ynez. There's a slider top left allowing you to scroll through historic satellite imagery which I marked with a yellow rectangle.”
https://x.com/wretchardthecat/status/1877844625349542046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1877844625349542046%7Ctwgr%5Eeb43bc184c7b4e7968ef8f2da571067ed22bb3a6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstapundit.com%2F695457%2F
"Emptying of the reservoir began in February after a tear in the floating cover measuring several feet allowed debris, bird droppings and other objects to enter the water supply."
They couldn't have put a tarp over the tear until they were all set to do the repair?
Go quickly and look before Google ‘fixes’ it.
Emptying of the reservoir began in February after a tear in the floating cover measuring several feet allowed debris, bird droppings and other objects to enter the water supply. [The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power] drained the site to avoid contamination and comply with water regulations.
We have the video!
"Officials said that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed since about February for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117-million-gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades for nearly a year. "
Why what a terrible LIE. The CNN "fact checker" said all the reservoirs are full and there is NO water shortage. (Be sure to listen to CNN for the straight facts /sarc.)
Goes right along with California Governor Nero's statements complaining about misinformation (i.e. anything that makes him look bad).
Why does it have to be covered in the first place? Boston’s water comes from the Quabbin Reservoir, a huge man-made lake in central Massachusetts.
The reservoir was drained ten months ago. This time of year isn't typically the most prone to wildfires anyway, I don't think. There's always some big event in the French Quarter, and otherwise people would be asking, why were they down during the Super Bowl / Mardi Gras / St. Patrick's Day / Fourth of July / Halloween. It's fair to question how long the repairs take, but there's never a trouble-free time to take down an important system.
They are saying the Google maps images going back show the cover not an empty reservoir lining.
Wretchard (Richard Fernandez) corrected himself in a later tweet. It has not been dry continuously since 2009: what looked to him like a dry reservoir was in some cases full of water, but looked dry because of the cover (tarp?) over it. It has been dry off and on since 2009, and apparently (see other comments here) for nearly a year before this fire.
I was going to say the same thing... Since when do reservoirs require covers? Is this just another grift?
Elections have consequences. Californians got exactly what they voted for. I doubt many of them have learned from this experience.
Elections have consequences. Californians got exactly what they voted for. I doubt many of them have learned from this experience.
‘It gets worse’ is the theme of the day.
I imagine Boston has some kind of water purification plant between the Quabbin Reservoir and Bostonians' taps. If LA purified the water first, then put it in the reservoir, they would need to keep it clean.
"I don't know how the water gets to the hydrants." -- LA Fire Chief
Pay tons of money - and don't get it done.
It's the Democratical way.
For want of a strip of duct tape, the kingdom was lost.
Again- the left care more about Green New Fraud - than people.
While modern and intelligent nations are building infrastructure - the American Soviet-Maddow-Democratic left are letting it all rot.
BUT democrats happy to bilk tax payers for billions to Ukriane and hundreds of millions to illegals.
If only there was some one who could have informed us about that
If LA purified the water first, then put it in the reservoir, they would need to keep it clean.
"Then on the morrow, you shall receive your purification."
hahahahaha a
Most reservoirs use floating covers to stop evaporation. Thats been done for decades. What is a surprise to the MSM, and the left, is that it being empty is a big deal.
When you promote people based on color, race, ideology, etc etc, this is what you get.
This is not surprising at all. This is the natural result of leftist policies. And the response by those vile people is also typical. they refuse to take responsibility for any of it. Its climate change, its Trump, its someone else.
The conditions for this disaster were known in advance. And just like here on Maui, the leftists in charge did nothing to prepare for it.
Preparation, competent leadership, would have made this fire less of a disaster.
DEI, CRT, and the other university lounge theories are responsible. And the MSM, and the rest of the left, are doing cartwheels to cover it up.
Unasked question: Why so long to simply fix a tear in the cover?
I don't know how this will all turn out, but I can make a case for how this hurts Dems in CA. Maybe the Ds stay in power, as they have supermajorities now, but if Rs can just run on competence they have to gain seats.
It's actually sad to see Mel Gibson's face there in the dark after the inquisitor says "purified by pain."
That is shocking. Can't believe the Fire Chief said it.
Poppy Biden! Help Me poppy Biden - people want to hold me accountable. How dare they! Can't they see how pretty I am - how amazing I am. Just look at my hair. We must stop this mis-information! Nothing is my fault!
LOL. OMG - the whining.
Clean house. Drain the swamp
=================================
what irony
fire cleans everything
swamp /reservoir\ already drained
I was wondering if anyone would post that.
Didn't we used to have a commenter called "Jane(?) the actuary?" Did none of these uninsured homeowners have mortgages? How else could this be possible?
Newsom and Bass are making Joe Biden look competent.
This isn't all that far from the truth just based on what Newsom has said in the last few days.
A few leaves and one or two bird droppings in a 117 million gallon body of water does nothing at all to its drinkability. "Several Feet" means maybe 40 inches. That is so pathetically small. That should merit only a work order to your Maintenance Department, with an estimate of 4 hours to complete. Absolute bureaucratic insanity.
Investigate and excuse.
F*ed on the way out.
JUST IN: Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says that around 600,000 Venezuelans and 200,000 Salvadorans can legally remain in the U.S. for another 18 months.
Priorities.
https://x.com/WallStreetApes/status/1878122931387281904 like the puzzlebox in hellraiser
https://x.com/htnt3888/status/1877186211065839734 i'm reminded of the luther plot in the original superman movie
was it mere incompetence, or something more,
Plenty of them have mortgages, but the insurance cancellation was so widespread that the lender's would have to be nuts to foreclose on thousands of homes that they couldn't resell or insure.
I left Chicago six years ago, Iam going to call my daughter and son-in law and find out if they have put a tarp over lake Michigan since I left.
They don’t cover the sources of drinking water, what’s so special about this site?
Everybody's out for scapegoats. Look for a system study first, what are the tradeoffs, etc.
Reading some various comments on the Instapundit post that linked to Wretchard's original post, (https://instapundit.com/695406/), it appears that the reservoir was originally built without a cover (the 2009 photos) but one was mandated by EPA water quality regulations and added about 2011. I've read it was to keep excessive contaminates out of the water in the reservoir so it sounds like treatment was done after collection.
Plus, the lender would have to know the insurance was cancelled. You need insurance to get a mortgage, but not to keep it.
You mean, like, in Maui?
I have lived in California my entire life. I have had to evacuate during a wildfire, luckily my home survived. I feel badly for all of the people who have lost their homes and been displaced. My sympathy goes out to the families and friends of those who died.
But there is a definite part of me (that started during covid) that wants to say to people who are complaining...
If you voted in the last (or the last 2,5,8,12,15...) election cycle(s) and the party you voted for has won and is in the majority in California I don't want to hear you whine. You are getting EXACTLY what you voted for. The incompetence of California's leadership and its misplaced priorities have been on display time and time again and the voters have had numerous opportunities for a course correction and refused to take it.
https://beverlypress.com/2024/04/bass-convenes-conference-focusing-on-government-ethics/ note the venue
Biden's back room people are doing all sorts of similar things, but most will be undone too. There are ways to work around stuff like this. Congress will not authorize any support money (next year's first budget draft will be eye-popping for its dramatic changes). No housing. No food. No eviction blockages. The blue states will not have pass-through "COVID emergency" funds, and they will face a huge financial squeeze (i.e., Trump's SALT rules will remain).
Trump will offer free transit home for nominal legals, or otherwise make the tropics seem much more appealing than an unfunded life in places with a true winter.
Maybe the EPA demanded that they empty the reservoir to prevent ash contamination.
and valencia and barcelona in spain, everytime there is an event they blame on cliimate change, criminal negligence, with the dams the reservoirs, the clear cutting is as much involved,
Reservoir was EMPTY, not just "unavailable". Bass and Newsom should be held personally accountable for their incompetence and blatant neglect of fundamental protection of health, safety, and welfare of their taxpaying constituents. Mayor Bass herself should be arrested for involuntary manslaughter and willful destruction of private property, and resign immediately..
"As raging wildfires burnt down more than 10,000 homes and buildings in the Los Angeles area with no relief in sight, reports have emerged claiming the county mayor, Karen Bass, rejected a help offer from the New York Fire Department. New York Post reported that New York City Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker had extended an offer “in recent days” to help battle the wildfires in the West Coast state. The report added that JetBlue Airlines had even offered to pay for the flights carrying “the city smoke-eaters” across the country from the Big Apple to Los Angeles."
https://www.wionews.com/world/la-wildfires-mayor-rejected-help-from-ny-fire-department-amid-crew-shortages-report-8609183
Dr. Weevil is right. I contacted wretchard and brought him up to speed on the truth. Drinking water reservoirs must be 100% covered by law. The SYR cover had a large tear and was required to shutdown. My question is: With the $2,7B setaside, why wasn't this critical part of the infrastructure proritized? THAT is the scandal
I stand dissected… 🥴
I couldn't find out how big the "tear" was but the cover is 9 acres in size.
Thank you, northof OneoOne, for answering a question that had puzzled me. (Federal bailout for California mortgage lenders is likely already in the works!)
Just one thing I ask — no, make that a demand: don’t you left-leaning morons lecture me about my gas stove and tankless water heaters if you aren’t going to keep water around to put out fires that send hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Even if the reservoir had been full, did the city, county and/or state have the equipment, electricity and personnel to pump enough water to make a difference?
There’s an 18 acre drinking water reservoir just a few blocks from my house. It’s over 100 years old and has never had a cover. Last year they found a dead body floating in it. Some people boiled their water for a few days after, but I figured, meh—just a little more protein.
I'm a socal native and have never seen a cover on one of our reservoirs and I've seen many but maybe missed something. We in the mountains get our water from. The nearby uncovered lake.
If the reservoir did have to be covered it wasn't because of birds but more likely human interference. I know in Sacramento they had major problems with homeless near and polluting the river
The 6-month bailout of California for wildfire costs is like telling the layabout teenager who was wasted on weed and crashed his new BMW that daddy is going to have all his working cousins work overtime to pay the cost of getting it fixed. Meanwhile, those cousins who lost their homes in North Carolina and Florida will just have to suck it up a little longer.
”It’s completely unacceptable that this reservoir was empty for almost a year for minor repairs,” Gus Corona, business manager of IBEW Local 18, said in an interview with The Times. “This work should have been done in-house, and they shouldn’t have depended on a contractor to do it,” he said. “I truly believe it’s something that could have been avoided.”
The head of the LA Department of Water and Power, Janisse Quiñones, makes a salary of $750,000. Doesn’t seem as though she’s done much to earn it. But don’t worry. I confidently predict that neither she nor anyone else in the Department of Water and Power will be fired of asked to submit a letter of resignation.
You’re correct I think, Paddy O. Hetch Hetchy, Pardee, Lake Mathews are just a few that come to mind.
LOL!
Another DEI hire. If you want more DEI, hire people like Ms. Quiñones. If you want water to come out of the hydrants, hire a white guy in his 50s named Earl. Bonus: You can probably pay him a third of what you're paying Ms. DEI Hire.
Investigate and execute
“Why so long to simply fix a tear in the cover?”
Permits.
FFS! Will you people stop using facts and their own words to make the dems and DEIs look bad? You might hurt their feelings!
At what point should we infer from the actions taken and not taken that had the reasonably foreseeable effect of worsening future disasters, particularly fire in an urban area, that CA officials want that effect?
Hard to get a kickback if you don’t hire a contractor to do the job.
The problem with democrats isn't incompetence per se, so there's no point in dwelling on it if you find it, it's noncomprehension of perverse consequences in everything. Problems don't respond well to direct action as they believe, as women believe. Men see a system with stuff following from direct action.
DEI is one thing that has perverse consequences like collapse of the system, predictably. But the people who screw up are not the focus of the mistake. It's the voters.
@TaeJohnDo, no. However much their feelings are hurt it’hll be nothing next to the psychic pain of people who’ve lost their homes and a lifetime of memories.
LA Times: "Petition For 'Immediate Recall' of Los Angeles Mayor Garners Nearly 60,000 Signatures, Cites 'Gross Mismanagement' of Wildfires"
I imagine Boston has some kind of water purification plant between the Quabbin Reservoir and Bostonians' taps.
Indeed. There is a huge cistern and a modern purification plant in about ten miles outside the city. Instead of chlorine they use ozone and the water quality is quite high, though New York wins on taste 😳…
West Palm Beach, Florida gets its drinking water from Lake Okeechobee, Grassy Waters Everglades Preserve, and Clear Lake:
Grassy Waters Everglades Preserve
A historic headwaters of the northern Everglades that receives freshwater mainly from rainfall
Lake Okeechobee
A surface water source for West Palm Beach
Clear Lake
A surface water source for West Palm Beach that is fed by Grassy Waters Preserve
Underground wells
The city pumps water from underground wells to supplement its supply when Clear Lake is low
Other than wells, NOT ONE of those sources is covered ffs. It's the law? Where? In CA, probably. Like all those
cancer warnings on shite
According to Quinones the reservoir was irrelevant. The LA system, at least as she explains it, involves 3 1-million gallon tanks up in the hills, Water is pumped uphill into them which then runs downhill with gravity into the system. The water demands created by the fires and firefighting depleted the system pressures and caused the supply collapse at the hyrants. Pumping could not move enough water fast enough uphill into the tanks (I think she said it would take HOURS to get enough water back into them) so it could run back downhill and refill and repressure the distribution lines,
Look, this is HER explanation, not mine, so it doesn't have to make sense. She is, after all, a city employee. But given the size of LA and the water demands of a population which has doubled or tripled in recent years (not counting illegals and homeless who steal from the hydrant supply lines when not actually stealing the hydrants themselves) how is this rational? LA constantly teeters on the edge of natural disaster - when did anyone ever wargame this clusterfoxtrot to see if it would work in a real-world disaster? Because, you know, it didn't. My guess would be never. MUUUCH too busy firehosing tax money into utterly pointless and self-destructive whimsies like the homeless/illegal/drugaddict petting zoos they seem to love much more than the people they tax to support them.
From what I understand there were 2 1million gallon systems available. And a 117 MILLION gallon system that was put in place to handle...oh well....fires in palisades. That system was emptied in feburary so for about 11 months. What were the contingencies? What was the planning to make up for 117 million gallons of water.
You cannot just say, oh well we are going to take critical infrastructure offline without contingencies unless.....you are incompetent democrat DEI hires. So there is that.
But wait, it gets worse: "Flashback: LA Mayor Karen Bass was once considered top VP choice by Biden, praised by Obama as ‘outstanding’" 😆
So, the State of California is going to "probe" the situation. How much will that cost? What will it accomplish? Whose ass is it supposed to cover?
Two parties on the left, a la Canada? I think California may have repopulated itself into Greek-style governmental dysfunction that will last for a very long time.
SOME reservoirs, and cooling ponds, and even swimming pools, use covers to reduce evaporation, or keep the water from cooling too much. I doubt even 10% of reservoirs nationwide are covered. Water is filtered and treated before being distributed. One common method, much cheaper and easier to maintain- put a few million floating balls on top. Putting covers on top to reduce contamination? A losing game.
Ashokan is the largest reservoir in the NYC reservoir system with over 122 billion gallons max storage and 40 miles of shoreline. Part of a system where is is fed by other reservoirs upstream and it feeds reservoirs downstream before the water enters aqueducts to flow to NYC. None of which are covered.
Tell it!
On the question of "treated or untreated" water in the Santa Ynez Reservoir, MS Copilot tell me, "The Santa Ynez Reservoir stores treated water. It is part of the water supply system for the Pacific Palisades area and helps maintain water pressure and provide a backup water supply during emergencies"
Of course that is when it is actually storing water.
LAT sez, "State to probe why..."
Why? Why bother to probe. The grain of truth here is like a small pebble the size of Gibraltar, and just as obvious. Water-free water reservoirs are to be expected as the default condition when the ruling class thinks taxpayer-funded queer glee clubs are NUMBER ONE on the civic to-do list and firefighting is somewhere south of No. 739.
And who's about to do that pointless probing? The State -- the world's biggest fox in the henhouse guarding profession.
Amazing. So they have not planned for ANYTHING. So the reservoir is irrelevant so why is it built? I smell manure.
I might just watch the Oscars this year to see if anyone has something to say.
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