The Santa Ynez cover has to be replaced, according to the L A. Department of Water and Power.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power held a special meeting “Restore, Recover, Rebuild” for Pacific Palisades residents on January 14. A one-stop permitting center was announced, again, and there were assurances that if there is no water in the Santa Ynez Reservoir, there are backups planned.
ONE-STOP PERMITTING STATION:
The latest one-stop permitting station for building in Pacific Palisades is now slated to open February 2. DWP will vacate its former center on Topanga Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway on January 30.
“We have been working for a year now to get the one-stop permit center moved into the Palisades,” said Councilmember Traci Parks. She mentioned there was a center at Sawtelle but that it was an extra stop for builders. She didn’t mention that the final stop for most builders is downtown. It’s not clear if this new site will take over that site that has been required for final approval.
This temporary site will be located below Marquez Elementary School at 16925 Marquez. This was the site of the proposed DS104, which Park said was the “much-hated 104 Station, which has been taken off the table for major infrastructural upgrades that DWP is working on for the Palisades.”
That proposed station was a sore spot for Marquez parents, but an equal number of other residents wanted reliable electricity and objected to high voltage wires being placed on pole-top stations located at Sunset Boulevard and Temescal (near the site of the where the Palisades High School fire started) and at Marquez Avenue and Sunset. Residents were told other high-voltage pole-top poles would be needed.
SANTA YNEZ RESERVOIR:
Water to Pacific Palisades starts at Stone Canyon and flows down the Westgate Trunk Line.
The second reason for the meeting was to explain to residents how the Santa Ynez Reservoir is a source of water and that a new cover is required. But, when the reservoir is drained this time, DWP will have redundancy plans.
Regarding the Santa Ynez, Greg Reed, the Senior Assistant General Manager Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office said, this is a “proactive effort to help with resiliency.” Water cycles in the reservoir through the Westgate Trunk Line, it fills up and then goes out to the community.
He explained that the Chautauqua Reservoir aka Palisades Reservoir is offline because of structural difficulties and added that it “still will be an important facility and there are plans to utilize that property.”
The 10-acre Santa Ynez Reservoir Floating cover was installed in 2011 for Federal requirements. Now it’s time to “remove the cover that has seen its useful life,” Reed said. He added that the design and construction designs had been taken to the board last week. The project, to remove the existing cover and install a new one, was awarded. The project is slated to begin late January, with “boots” on the ground in February, and the project complete by fall 2026.
Councilmember Park confirmed that the Reservoir “will be off-line during the fire season.”
She was told “Yes.”
Adam Perez, DWP Director of Water Operations treating and delivering the water, explained there are contingency measures. If there is a loss of water on the trunk line [that supplies water to Pacific Palisades], which happened during the Palisades Fire, hoses will be installed to bypass the break; a second backup is about six miles of hoses with booster pumps through Topanga State Park.
When the Santa Ynez Reservoir is empty, the back-up will be six miles of hose that goes through Topanga State Park originating at the Corbin Tank.
There will also be emergency standby generators at Marquez Knolls, Trailer and Santa Ynez pumping stations; a heli-hydrant at Santa Ynez Reservoir for aerial firefighting; predeployed water tankers on standby in Pacific Palisades and a water cistern at Palisades Reservoir.
Perez said they have already done brush clearance around their facilities.
A new cover is seen as a temporary solution. Reed said DWP is evaluating alternatives for the reservoir such as a tank storage [removing the existing reservoir and replacing it with a buried concrete reservoir structure]; an above the ground tank for drinking water and the reservoir for firefighting; a micro-filtration plant, similar to those at the Encino and Lower Stone Canyon reservoirs, which would allow the cover to be removed from San Ynez.
CTN reached out to DWP and spokesperson Christina Holland in a January 20 email said “LADWP considers wildfires in its infrastructure planning, including the Santa Ynez Reservoir long-term project. LADWP is currently evaluating long-term options for the Santa Ynez Reservoir. These alternatives include tank storage, a water treatment facility, or other engineered solutions that would support the system’s needs well into the future. While the floating cover remains a proven membrane system that meets all water quality and regulatory standards, long-term options offer added durability and operational flexibility. Each alternative is being evaluated for constructability, operational ease, and cost effectiveness. A recommendation is expected by mid-2026.”
She noted that LADWP also “operates open-air reservoirs that are not part of the drinking water system but are available for aerial firefighting and emergency needs.”
DWP is also looking at revitalizing the Chautauqua Reservoir (it was drained in June 2024). Perez said there are seepage concerns with the hillside, and they may need to rehab the existing structure or rebuilding it out.
UNDERGROUNDING ELECTRICAL LINES:
DWP Electrical Services Manager Theodore Zeiss spoke about undergrounding the electrical wires. “We are committed to it, but some areas of Pacific Palisades may be unachievable due to terrain issues.” He said they will present a timeline for Pacific Palisades in February.
Zeiss said that in order to have undergrounding in a neighborhood, builders need to install a combo panel, “it is mandatory panel and required.” DWP promised to meet monthly with the Pacific Palisades Community Council infrastructure committee and also hold workshops for residents.”
“It is true that one neighbor can hold up undergrounding,” Zeiss said, but emphasized by using a block-by-block approach we can “come up with a win-win.”
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