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Officials were warned of failing water system before Palisades fire – Jobsmaa.com

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Los Angeles County officials missed dozens of opportunities for water infrastructure improvements, which would have helped firefighters to save more houses in the policed ​​fire, experts show public records.

When the crew fought the fire, LA tried to extinguish the fireplaces that burned LA County and killed at least 11 people, Some hydrasts are dried.

Water shortage has been underway since the explosion of wildfire on January 7, the authorities are beating to explain why 117 million Gallan Santa Yines reservoir was empty For maintenance.

The airplane view of the empty Santa Yines reservoir

Santa Yines Reservoir in 2022.

(Haley Smith / Los Angeles Times)

But the Times shows that thousands of state, district and municipal records have been disaster for many years. Red tape, budget deficit and government inactivity repeated the plans for water system development – some include the need to increase the firefighting capacity, especially the need for increasing fire exercise.

Many projects on the list of three dozen “highest priority” upgrades compiled by district officials in 2013 have not yet been broken in the disaster.

The county wrote that the updates reach “important goals”, including ensuring that there is enough water in this system to meet the “fire needs”. The estimated cost was less than 57 million and the construction would have taken seven years.

More than 1 million gallons of gallon in Malibu and Dopanga, which were in the fire, were left in the Drawing Committee. According to the County Records, the replacement of the “aging and severely deteriorated” water tanks, as well as improvements for pumping stations and the water rows that cause leakage in both communities, “its water system is carried out by the Public Works Department of the district, or DPW.

In times of emergency, the plan to create a new connection to draw water from the neighboring water system has also been delayed for years.

Cracks and stains on the exterior of the Lower bush tank

As seen on January 19, the exterior of the Lower Bush tank in Malibu is cracking and blemishes.

(Ringo Chiu / Period)

In an interview, County Public Works Director Mark Besthella said that the water system in Malibu and Dopanga was “performed as designed” in the policy fire. He said it was built to provide enough water to fight fire in personal homes or structures, not a massive wildfire.

“Can we do more? Every engineer and every firefighter are going to tell you more, ”Bestrella said. “When a firefighter says he can have done much if he had too much water, it is not true.”

He argued that the proposed improvements would have only had a small impact: “This actually gives a chance to save some homes. … If you have too much water here or there you will be fine? They may have had more chance, perhaps. ”

Residents of the fire -affected areas said they were angry that County had failed to complete the plans to help restrict damage.

View of the water purification station behind the burnt tree

The Malibu Civic Center water purification facility is viewed from the burned mountain pass on January 19.

(Ringo Chiu / Period)

“I am disappointed among the leaders of my community,” Kathy King said, “Malibu Home is one of those who stood in his neighborhood after the 2018 Woolsi fire. “I think people are worried about spending a little bit, but if you live in a community like this, it is your duty. With water complication, you have to have a better setting.”

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The most dry weather in conjunction with the powerful air gases has already created a recipe for the disaster when the policy fire has already exploded. But experts said that the plans that failed to complete the La County would have made a difference in the emergency response.

UCLA's urban planning professor Gregory Pierre, who examined the impact of La County's water systems and water on wildfire, said, “It would be clear that if many of these projects were built, it would have been helpful.

Another UCL professor and water expert Edith de Qusman agreed: “Some houses may have been saved. It is absolutely possible that this can help a little. ”

County's 2013 list said Bestrella said, “This is not a promise to build, this is the primary project for capital development.” But the cost became a problem, which contributed to repeated delays.

In 2019, County compiled a new “Priority Plan List”, which includes several activities remaining six years ago. The 13 upgrades cost about 59.3 million, and all except for one, it was planned to be completed by September 2024.

According to the City of Malibu Records, one of the projects that are considered the most essential projects is a planned link with the Los Virgenus Municipal Water District, which costs about 1 4.1 million for the estimated district in 2019.

The 2015 County Planning Document said that the Los Virgenus link could be used to “prevent water shortage in the event of disaster.”

Three months ago, Malibu's Planning Authority issued a stamp to the project. According to County Records, construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2026.

Fire damaged houses under the smoked sky

On January 8, fire damaged houses at the beach drive near the Pacific Policy.

(Connor sheets / Los Angeles Times)

The lack of improvement in many projects is somewhat run by opposition to a potential increase in the water rates of the residents, which is already the highest in the district. County's public works chief, Bestrella, said it could take several years to ensure that the environmental regulations comply.

Resistance is a particularly limited factor in Malibu, where Bestrella says that sometimes the city does not use enough water access to prevent new construction.

When asked, “The community did not request it,” he said why many plans failed to progress.

“They are not dependent on development. They use the water system as a way to control growth in Malibu. That is the subordinate. That is why it does not happen at the speed that can happen. ”

George Rodriguez, a spokesman for Malibu's Emergency Operations Center for the Polystes fire, gave a brief statement via email: “Malibu is a small city with more than 10,000 residents, heavily relies on the provision of and managing Malibu outdoor companies and partners. ”

The long -term delay would have been a fall in the bucket.

The County's 2013 project list was proposed for the Coastline Drive 6 186,000 “fire flow improvement”, which begins with the Pacific Beach Highway, which starts the Pacific Polyses border. In 2019, the same extension was re -flagged because “the water line has to be over 2,000 feet, aging, and worsened.”

County Public Works Department records that this project is “enhance the computer fire-drive and reliability.” The work was expected to begin at 6 million this spring, the County wrote last year.

It is not clear whether the drywall drive contained hydrpects on the coastline drive. But firefighters said there was no water for others in the area.

On January 8, after the policies fire, 41 -year -old Jessica McCindier returned to her apartment in the length of the coastal movement, where the water line is to be upgraded. Most of the buildings nearby were reduced to wreckage – she escaped from the flames.

A woman in the mask is standing outside a building with smoke in the background

Jessica McCindier stands on the coastal journey outside her apartment the day after the policies fire.

(Connor sheets / Los Angeles Times)

“We thought our house was gone,” she said, loaded with her gray -covered sedan.

When she packed, a firefighter worked to turn off a burning house on the street. Firefighters painted water from a tanker truck instead of a nearby hydrode.

“I know all the emergency services are doing everything they can,” McCindier said. “This could be bad. It is very scary. I hope it doesn't.”

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One of the storage tanks that supply water for fireworks in Malibu, standing behind the “violation” identity and the padlock chain-connection gate, which tops the thorns.

The so -called Lower Bush Tank shows the signs of age, a latte work of cracks in its facade and the split trees sound its upper edge.

Many years ago, a district document listed a $ 4 million dollar project, which listed a 4 million dollar plan to replace the “aging and strong 300,000 gallon concrete tank”. A goal of the proposed troubleshooter is to “improve the fire-drive.”

The update identified as a “Priority” program in 2019 has never taken place.

A woman is running three dogs in the bush tank

The Lower Bush tank in Malibu is seen in the background on January 19.

(Ringo Chiu / Period)

As part of a district motivation as part of a district motivation to create a “very flexible fire system,” records show many plans to create or improve the area of ​​the area where Bestrella described – has been discontinued many times.

The plan to increase the water capacity about a mile away from the Malibu Polystes Fire Burning Zone has been delayed for more than a decade.

Public Works Environmental Engineering Engineering Expert Darien Wong, in a webinar in November, said that the County Infrastructure is now planning to break the 13 million dollar project to replace the “old and underlined water”.

According to a public work published in the fall, the existing infrastructure will not provide adequate ability to provide firefighting to the service area.

It is not only Malibu, but it is experienced that long -standing waiting for water system updates.

Ryan Yuliet, co -president of the Topanga Canian Fire Safi Council, said that firefighters in a dopang neighborhood called Fernwood, an organization that teaches wildfire and their homes to harvest their homes, said that firefighters are important to prevent the spread of the policy fire.

The 2.7 million dollar project is included in the 2020 and 2021 district planning documents by replacing two “aged and worse 50,000 gallon” tanks with 200,000-gallon tank in Fernwood. The project never benefited. Instead, County Records shows that one of the existing pots is rehabilitated.

Although Yuliyate agreed that only the water system updates would not have stopped wildfire, he said he could have helped his social weather.

“You have to do everything you can to make sure the water infrastructure is the best enough,” he said. “They are going to learn lessons from this.”

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