1.23.25
“LA Fires Demand a New California Water Plan”
By Henry W. Burke, Registered Professional Engineer for 37 years
A PARTIAL LIST OF DOCUMENTED DEATHS - AS OF 1.20.25
Anthony M. (a 67-year-old amputee) and his son, Justin (who had cerebral palsy), died in the Eaton Fire.
Arthur S. (69) died while trying to save his home.
Charlie M. (84) died in the hospital after inhaling smoke and getting thermal burns from the fire.
Dalyce C. (95) died at her home after her family was uncertain if she was alive.
Evelyn M. died at her home from the Eaton Fire.
Jeffrey T. (69) died at his home due to the Palisades Fire. His children said their father, “wasn’t just a husband, father, grandfather, and friend – he was the protector of our home and our neighborhood.”
Rodney N. (82) died in his bed due to the Eaton Fire. He wanted to stay in his Altadena home which he purchased in 1968 for $5.
Victor S. (66) died in the Eaton Fire. He was found holding a hose after a fire ravaged his neighborhood.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/victims-killed-los-angeles-wildfires/
PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD -- AGHAST
The terrible Los Angeles fires have garnered the attention of people from around the world.
(Los Angeles is considered to be in Southern California.)
The Pacific Palisades Fire is the biggest and most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history!
Other LA area fires include the Eaton Fire and the Hurst Fire.
As of January 20, 2025, at least 27 people have died; 40,000 acres have been burned; and 16,000 structures have been destroyed due to the Los Angeles Fires.
Wildfires are nothing new in Los Angeles County.
The largest wildfires in LA County (by dates and acres burned) include: Station Fire (2009 – 161,000 acres), Bobcat Fire (2020 – 116,000 acres), Clampitt Fire (1970 – 105,000 acres), and Woolsey Fire (2018 – 97,000 acres).
https://www.laalmanac.com/fire/fi07.php#google_vignette
WILDFIRES CAUSED BY HUMANS
According to recent reports, the wildfire was likely caused by humans. The location of the fire’s origin seems to be Skull Rock, an overlook on the Temescal Ridge Trail in Pacific Palisades. The area is popular with hikers and is often a hangout for local teens.
According to reports, a small fire burned there on New Year’s Eve, apparently started by fireworks. That fire was supposedly extinguished shortly after.
POOR MAINTENANCE AND BUREAUCRATIC DECISIONS
When desperate LA firefighters ran to the fire hydrants to get the much-needed water, they found that they were completely dry. Why was there a shortage of water?
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has three nearby water tanks in the Palisades area, each holding one million gallons of water. These tanks ran dry by 3 a.m. on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
Because of high demand, the water pressure in the system dropped too low. The water could not flow uphill to the fire hydrants in the areas that badly needed it. With no water to refill the tanks, the tanks were quickly depleted.
A civil engineer quickly learns a fundamental principle: “Water flows downhill. To get it to flow uphill, you have to pump it."
Question: “Is the water from the reservoirs being delivered to the fire hydrants with sufficient volume and pressure to successfully put out the fires?"
Evidently not…
https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/why-did-pacific-palisades-water-hydrants-run-dry
EMPTY RESERVOIR
Before this massive Pacific Palisades Fire, the LADWP had drained the large Santa Ynez Reservoir in February 2024 to repair the torn cover. The Santa Ynez Reservoir holds 117 million gallons of water.
This key reservoir has been empty for one year and was of no help when needed to fight the Palisades Fire.
Any qualified civil engineer would say that it should not take more than a month to repair a torn reservoir cover.
SHORTAGE OF WATER
The shortage of water is nothing new. The fire hydrants also ran dry in the 2017 Tubbs Fire and the 2024 Mountain Fire.
Why can’t the decision-makers learn from past calamities?
When the present Los Angeles wildfires swept through the area, the shortage of water for fighting the fires became obvious.
As the historic fire spread, the city’s water infrastructure faced an impossible task. Clearly, the city’s water system was not designed for fires of this size.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has a system that supplies typical residential needs, but it cannot contend with cataclysmic fires.
FIXATION ON ENVIRONMENT CREATED WILDFIRES
California’s misplaced fixation on the environment has created the conditions for massive wildfires.
Shawn Regan (Vice President of Research at the Property and Environment Research Center – PERC) recently stated:
“Proactive measures like thinning and prescribed burns can significantly reduce wildfire risks, but such projects are often tied up for years in environmental reviews or lawsuits.”
With poorly managed forests, all it takes to ignite an inferno is a spark and some wind.
PERC reported in 2021 that a study led by Forest Service scientists estimated that live fuel (e.g., underbrush, shrubs, trees) caused 53% of fires while climate [wind, drought] accounted for only 14%.
A huge amount of water is wasted in California because it is allowed to flow into the Pacific Ocean.
Governor Newsom and the environmental extremists think it is important to have lots of water in the rivers to keep the delta smelt alive. This is an insignificant fish that is less than three inches long and is not good for eating.
Instead of caring about a tiny fish, Governor Newsom should concentrate on protecting human life.
Common sense would lead decision-makers to capture the water in reservoirs to fight wildfires such as the 2025 LA fires.
To utilize the water in reservoirs, the water has to be transported by pipelines to the Los Angeles area to fight the fires. Trying to haul the water by fire trucks or regular trucks is foolhardy.
GOVERNOR NEWSOM’S POOR DECISIONS EXACERBATED WILDFIRES
(1) In February 2020, President Trump sent a memorandum to Governor Newsom ordering the state to send more water from Northern California to Southern California.
Governor Newsom immediately responded with threats of litigation. Newsom’s administration cited protecting the delta smelt fish.
https://www.courthousenews.com/trump-signs-order-diverting-more-water-to-california-farmers/
(2) In March 2023 and again in September 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom ended the drought water restrictions on water districts serving 70 % of Californians. These actions caused a major increase in the growth of underbrush, which feeds wildfires.
(3) Governor Newsom’s administration has pledged to treat 500,000 acres of forest annually for wildfire prevention, but the state has only managed to treat a fraction of that amount. Instead, the state has funneled billions of dollars into green energy projects.
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/5080026-california-wildfires-government-failure/
(4) Under Governor Newsom, California’s budget has mushroomed from $215 billion in 2019 to $322 billion in 2025! In January 2023, Newsom said his state had a $97.5 billion operating surplus. Where did the $97 billion go?
California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher said:
“As California bounces between flooding and drought, it is abundantly clear that we need new water storage, and yet there is still no dedicated funding this year or next to meet that need.”
https://californiaglobe.com/fl/californias-budget-black-hole-where-did-the-97-5-billion-surplus-go/
(5) In June 2024, Governor Newsom slashed $101 million from the 2024-2025 fire prevention budget. These cuts impacted the California fires. The cuts reduced spending for fuel reduction teams, vegetation management, and wildfire resilience work.
UNDERSTANDING WATER IN CALIFORNIA
California’s economy has always been shaped by water. The state has ample water, but it is in the wrong place.
California receives 75 % of its rain and snow in Northern California (in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains). However, most of the population lives in Southern California.
About 80 % of the water demand is in Southern California (southern 2/3 of the state).
As an average, California receives about 200 million acre-feet of water per year in rain and snow. Most of that water (unused by man) flows out to the Pacific Ocean!
Has California done enough to capture a large amount of this water before it flows into the Pacific Ocean? Absolutely not!
https://water.ca.gov/Water-Basics/The-California-Water-System
STATE WATER PROJECT
To correct this imbalance of water in the state, California created the State Water Project (SWP). The State Water Project is operated by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).
The State Water Project provides water to 29 public water agencies that serve 27 million Californians. It also provides irrigation water for 750,000 acres of farmland.
It diverts water from the Feather River (Oroville Dam) to Central Valley, South Bay Area, and Southern California.
https://www.watereducation.org/topic-state-water-project
Construction of this massive State Water Project started in 1960, and the initial facilities were completed in 1973.
The SWP required the construction of 21 dams, and 700 miles of canals, pipelines, and tunnels. The key feature is the 444-mile-long California Aqueduct. The starting maximum pumping/canal volume is 10,670 CFS (cubic feet per second).
Water that starts out in California’s northern Sierra Nevada mountains is transported more than 705 miles to Los Angeles and beyond! This is two thirds the length of California!
About 70 % of the SWP water is used for residential, municipal, and industrial use, mainly in Southern California. About 30 % of the SWP water is used for irrigation, mostly in the San Joaquin Valley.
This is the wet season in Northern California. However, Southern California remains very dry.
LOS ANGELES WATER
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the nation’s second-largest municipal water utility. In 2022, it supplied 163 billion gallons of water -- with an average of 447 million gallons per day to 739,000 service connections. Los Angeles has approximately 4 million residents.
Sources of water for LADWP include the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), and locally pumped groundwater.
https://www.ladwp.com/who-we-are/water-system
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) is a cooperative of 26 member agencies. MWD supplies water to 19 million people in six counties.
The water for MWD is delivered through the Colorado River Aqueduct and the California Aqueduct. The Colorado River Aqueduct takes water from the Colorado River in Lake Havasu and transports it 242 miles to Lake Matthews in Riverside, CA.
https://www.watereducation.org/aquapedia-background/colorado-river-aqueduct
It takes more than reservoirs to supply water for human use and for firefighting.
Water storage reservoirs must be accompanied by a complete water distribution system. To produce potable (safe) water for human consumption, a water system must include water treatment plants.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RESERVOIRS
Metropolitan Water District maintains three reservoirs in Southern California: Diamond Valley (810,000 acre-feet), Lake Mathews (182,000 acre-feet), and Lake Skinner (44,000 acre-feet).
MWD operates five water treatment plants, including some of the largest facilities in the nation.
https://d1q0afiq12ywwq.cloudfront.net/media/18661/water-treatment-plants-fact-sheet-final_web.pdf
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has three reservoirs in the Southern California area: Castaic Lake (324,000 acre-feet), Lake Perris (131,000 acre-feet), and Silverwood Lake (73,000 acre-feet). The California Aqueduct provides the inflow for Castaic Lake.
https://www.bewaterwise.com/reservoir-water-storage/2.2.4_reservoir_storage.pdf
DIAMOND VALLEY RESERVOIR
The largest and newest reservoir is Diamond Valley Reservoir, southwest of Hemet, CA. Diamond Valley is often referred to as the “Jewel of Southern California.” It has a storage capacity of 810,000 acre-feet (264 billion gallons).
https://d1q0afiq12ywwq.cloudfront.net/media/18653/642_facilities_dvl.pdf
This $1.9 billion construction project was started in 1995 and completed in 2000.
Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. performed the foundation excavation for the West Dam and built the large East Dam.
Diamond Valley was the largest earthwork project in the U.S at the time of construction with 40 million cubic yards of foundation excavation and 100 million cubic yards of embankment.
Diamond Valley Lake is Southern California’s largest drinking water reservoir. The reservoir is 250 feet deep and holds more water than all other Southern California surface reservoirs combined!
Water stored at Diamond Valley Reservoir comes from Northern California as part of the State Water Project.
The water flows through the 444-mile-long California Aqueduct, and then it is sent to the Diamond Valley Reservoir.
Water stored at Diamond Valley can be routed to almost all of Metropolitan Water District’s service area by gravity flow.
Water can be sent as far west as Ventura County if needed during a drought or fire emergency.
https://d1q0afiq12ywwq.cloudfront.net/media/18653/642_facilities_dvl.pdf
Here is the all-important question: Is Diamond Valley water being used to fight the current LA fires? According to widely used sources, this information is not available.
Why is there such a "big secret" about whether or not this huge source of water in Diamond Valley (largest in Southern California) was or was not used to fight the present California fires?
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT NEW DAMS IN CALIFORNIA
What about dams in California?
A widely quoted statement is “California has not built any new dams for 50 years!”
Unfortunately, this statement is true.
All of these major dams are located in Northern California.
This listing provides some information on California’s large dams (name, year built, agency, and storage capacity):
1. Shasta Dam (1945) (BuRec) – 7 million acre-feet
2. Folsom Dam (1956) (BuRec) – 977,000 acre-feet
3. San Luis Dam ( 1967 ) (DWR and BuRec) – 2 million acre-feet
4. Oroville Dam (1968) (DWR) – 3.5 million acre-feet
5. Don Pedro Dam (1971) (SF) – 2.0 million acre-feet
6. New Melones Dam (1979) (BuRec) – 2.4 million acre-feet
https://www.watereducation.org/topic-list-dams-reservoirs-and-water-projects
https://www.tid.org/facilities/don-pedro-reservoir/
Notes:
1). (DWR) -- California Department of Water Resources
2). (BuRec) -- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
3). (SF) -- San Francisco and two irrigation districts
OROVILLE DAM SPILLWAYS
After the failure of the Oroville Dam Spillway [in Northern California] in February 2017, the Main Spillway and Emergency Spillway were completely rebuilt. Oroville Reservoir is the primary source of water for the State Water Project. The Main Spillway project was completed on time by Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. in just 18 months (2017-2018).
The Emergency Spillway was massively strengthened with concrete and a deep concrete cut-off wall; Kiewit completed the Emergency Spillway construction in late 2019.
http://www.enr.com/articles/41664-how-to-fix-oroville-dam
https://www.enr.com/articles/41733-more-thoughts-about-how-to-fix-oroville-dam
REVIEW OF APPARENT FACTS ABOUT DAMS IN CALIFORNIA
From this listing and the reservoir discussion, several facts are apparent.
DISTURBING FACT: The only major dam and reservoir constructed recently is Diamond Valley Reservoir (built 25 years ago).
California has not constructed a major dam since New Melones Dam (built 46 years ago).
Oroville Dam [Northern California] was built 57 years ago. California’s large dams are 46 to 80 years old!
Most of the large dams were built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at federal government expense not with California dollars.
PROPOSED CALIFORNIA WATER PLAN
With the exception of Oroville Dam and Don Pedro Dam, all of the major California dams were built by the federal government.
Instead of riding on the federal coattails, California at the state level should initiate the construction of new dams and reservoirs to provide the water needed for droughts and fire emergencies.
California made a bold move when the state built the State Water Project back in the 1960s.
Because California receives most of its rain and snow in Northern California, and Southern California is typically dry, action must be taken.
The following action plan will provide the water needed to fight the costly fires in Southern California and give the area a dependable supply of potable water in times of drought.
A NEW CALIFORNIA WATER PLAN MUST INCLUDE:
(1). Build new dams and reservoirs in the north to capture that unused water.
(2). Build a new California Aqueduct to run from the north to Southern California.
(3). Build new water reservoirs and tanks in Southern California.
(4). Build new water infrastructure in Southern California (including water distribution systems and water treatment plants).
The proposed 2025-2026 California State Budget is $322 Billion.
In the aftermath of the horrible LA fires, the state of California must allocate far more of its budget to fund a new California Water Plan.
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Bio for Henry W. Burke
Henry Burke is a Civil Engineer with a B.S.C.E. and M.S.C.E. He has been a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) for 37 years and has worked as a Civil Engineer in construction for over 45 years.
Mr. Burke had a successful 27-year career with a large construction company.
Henry Burke has served as a full-time volunteer to oversee various construction projects. He has written numerous articles on education, engineering, construction, politics, taxes, and the economy.
Henry W. Burke
E-mail: [email protected]