Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced today that Pacific Palisades residents can safely start to drink their tap water again starting Friday, almost two months after the Palisades Fire challenged the community. The update was shared at a press conference, where the Mayor stood with Janisse Quiñones, CEO and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). This comes after extensive efforts to restore the area's drinkability, with the LADWP working 7 days a week to flush and test water pipes, ensuring they comply with safety standards.
"We're leading the fastest recovery effort in modern California history, and we won't stop until this community is made whole," said Bass, according to a statement on the Mayor's official website. She went on to compare the speed of debris removal and restoration of utilities to other major fires in California's recent past, like the Camp Fire in Paradise, showcasing both the quick turnaround in the Palisades and the city's commitment to making the rebuilding process as efficient as possible.
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized Phase 1 of the hazardous waste removal, taking only 28 days to remove more than 300 tons of hazardous materials, such as exploded lithium batteries, from the affected properties. "Phase 2 of the fire debris removal handled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been underway for several weeks," as reported by CBS Los Angeles. In response to the disaster, the city has also enacted several new ordinances aimed at providing relief and preventing tenant evictions and price gouging.
Quiñones reassured the community during the announcement, urging residents "to run all water faucets at the highest setting for about 10 minutes before using any of the water," as per CBS Los Angeles. This key step is necessary to ensure that the water being used is safe following the lifting of the "Do Not Drink" notice. Bass has also highlighted measures taken to boost the community's recovery, such as opening Disaster Recovery Centers and streamlining the process for homeowners to rebuild their homes and businesses.
