2024 Annual Report HTML version

At the outset, I must emphasize that no urban water system in the world is designed to fight a conflagration of the magnitude seen in Southern California in early 2025. But what can we learn from the tragedy? What have we learned ourselves over the last 10 years, dealing with the Erskine, Camp, Woolsey, and Mendocino Complex Fires, among others?

First, preparation is key. Clearing brush. Optimizing available supplies. Reconfiguring pipes for higher flows where appropriate. Staging crews and backup power. Although none of these efforts can guarantee safety in a fire, it is all vital, and just part of our ongoing wildfire preparation program. Over the past five years, we have invested nearly $55 million in pipelines, pumps, and emergency generators specifically intended to better position us in the event of fire.

Second, response must be practiced. Emergencies often cross jurisdictional boundaries, and having the ability to coordinate with partners is essential. That is why we host Community Emergency Response training for first responders,

Third, water providers and firefighting agencies should maintain open lines of communication during emergencies. If a water provider understands the needs of a firefighting agency at a given location, it may be able to modify water system operations to meet those needs. For obvious reasons, these relationships should be nurtured long before an emergency occurs, and this is something we work on year-round. In 2024, we awarded more than $175,000 to fire agencies in our service areas to help prepare them for future emergencies.

This is in no way intended to second-guess the actions of those involved in the Los Angeles area fires, and our hearts go out to everyone who was affected. Even before the fires were contained, we had contributed more than $100,000 to organizations on the ground, the American Red Cross, the World Central Kitchen, the California Fire Foundation, and, to a slightly lesser degree, Pasadena Humane and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals LA.

Rather, it's an acknowledgment that wildfires pose serious risks, and although no urban water system is designed to fight wildfires, there are things we can and are doing to help lessen the risk.