Starting Friday, people can again drink the water in Pacific Palisades, with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power set to lift a “do not drink” notice.
The announcement was made Thursday by Mayor Karen Bass, who said crews continue to make significant progress cleaning up debris left by the deadly Palisades Fire.
“In the two months since the devastating fires broke out, we’ve made historic progress in rebuilding,” Bass said during a morning news conference at the city’s new Unified Utilities Rebuild Operations Center in Pacific Palisades.
“Water and power have been restored, and last week we completed Phase 1 of debris removal process — both months ahead of expectations.”
The mayor said officials are leading the “fastest recovery effort in the state’s history” and added that, next week, she will use her emergency executive powers to direct city departments to create a streamlined path for people who want to build in a more resilient way, such as using fireproof materials.
“The past two months have been a defining time for our city,” Bass said. “We will continue to do all that we can to bring this community home.”
After the “do not drink” notice is lifted Friday, LADWP crews will continue testing water in the Palisades area, officials said. The department is asking residents to flush out their pipes with the following tips:
— Prepare your site for flushing by removing aerators and screens from all faucets. Set water-softening devices and filters, both point-of-use and whole-house to “bypass mode”;
— Flush outside plumbing by opening and flushing any external fixtures and hose bibs/faucets for about 10 minutes or until water is clear and temperature is constant;
— Flush cold water by running all cold-water faucets on the property beginning with the faucet closest to the water line. Run the water at the highest flow (or fully open) for about 10 minutes or until water is clear and temperature is constant. Then turn off all faucets in reverse order;
— Flush all toilets and urinals at least once but repeat if the refilled water is not clear;
— Flush hot water by draining your hot water tank to discharge any accumulated sediments. Wait for the hot water tank to refill and flush, as in Step 3 (flush cold water);
— Clean aerators and screens and reattach to faucets, shower heads and fixtures;
— Flush appliances by running an empty dishwasher and washing machine once on the rinse cycle. Empty ice from ice maker bin; run ice maker and discard two additional batches of ice; and
— Restore all removed filters and reset all water devices from “bypass mode.”
DWP General Manager Janisse Quiñones said that each property will have instructions on-site to assist with the flushing process. She said officials were able to lift the notice Friday because of the hard work of DWP crews.
“We have nearly 100 miles of water pipes in the Palisades that serve over 8,400 homes and businesses,” Quiñones said. “We worked very close with our state regulator and followed their guidance, and met all of their strict requirements.”
“We’re proud to announce today that water is safe to resume drinking and using throughout the Palisades effective tomorrow,” she added.
Customers will be credited $50 to their DWP account so they can flush out their pipes without worrying about an extra cost.
Quiñones noted that significant progress has been made in restoring the power system as well, with the replacement of 800 power poles, 50,00 feet of cable and the restoration of power to thousands of homes and businesses. Some 143 customers remain without power as they are located in challenging areas, she added.
Additionally, DWP is moving forward with its “undergrounding plan,” placing 4,000 feet of cables underground.
FEMA Regional Administrator Bob Fenton and Col. Eric Swenson with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers encouraged Palisades residents to sign up for available programs.
Fenton noted that FEMA approved more than $83 million in assistance for fire victims, and the Small Business Administration provided another $1.4 billion in loans and financial aid.
The FEMA Individual Assistance, SBA Disaster Loan, Disaster Unemployment Assistance have a March 10 deadline. L.A. County’s Small Business Relief Fund is also available until March 12.
FEMA’s wildfire debris removal program is accepting applications for free cleanups through March 31.
Meanwhile, Bass also reminded Palisades residents that they can now obtain original building plans for their lost homes at the LA One-Stop Rebuilding Center. Homeowners can request their plans via email at records.ladbs@lacity.org and at the One-Stop Rebuilding Center in person. Government issued ID, a copy of the property’s recorded deed and completion of this form (bit.ly/41LN5Ih) are required to obtain plans.
The One-Stop Rebuilding Center is located at 1828 Sawtelle Blvd., and open from Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on the weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.