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The Santay Nez Reservoir in Pacific Palisade was empty when it was extinguished in January, but was eventually returned online, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced Thursday.
The reservoir had stopped service since early 2024 as it had a considerable tear that its floating cover had to be fixed.
DWP officials thought the repairs were completed about three months ago, but crews discovered in April as they restocked the storage space with more tears and leaks in the floating cover. They then drained the reservoir again, allowing for additional repairs.
As part of the work, DWP said the reservoir is currently in operation after workers have completed inspections and completed inspections, helping diver crews to spot and repair leaks in the “pinhole size” in the cover.
“The repair took longer than expected as storm damage, sunlight exposure and embers of wildfires made the cover even worse,” said Adam Perez, interim water operations director for DWP.
“It was a delicate balance between promoting repairs while ensuring that there were no remaining issues with the cover when the reservoir was up and running,” Perez thanked the contractors and workers, saying, “I was striving and dedicated to bringing the reservoir back into operation.”
DWP issued a statement via email. The reservoir has announced that it is back in operation. We did not address ongoing inquiries as to why the reservoir was offline during the Palisade Fire and whether this could have contributed to water supply issues as firefighters lost pressure and encountered dry fire hydrants.
DWP officials did not respond to requests Thursday for additional information regarding the status of the inquiry.
Traci Park, LA City Councilwoman representing the area, said the lengthy repairs were indicative of the need for the city to improve how it manages its infrastructure.
“We are happy to be working right now, but the reservoir has been offline since early 2024. “Our water infrastructure must be emergency response every day. A lot of things put everything we cherish at risk.”
Residents of Pacific Palisades are questioning why the reservoir is empty when Palisade erupts fire and destroys thousands of homes.
Overall, shootings in January in Pacific Palisade, Altadena and nearby areas have killed or destroyed more than 18,000 homes and other buildings.
A floating reservoir cover made of synthetic rubber is necessary to protect stored water in compliance with federal drinking water regulations.
In early 2024, the DWP drained the reservoir after workers found water piled up in the cover and determined that there was a serious tear. The agency said tears grew to about 100 feet after the rain fell, complicating the repair work.
The task of modifying the cover was issued for competitive bids. This is a process that took me nine months in the end. Only one vendor submitted a bid for work that was officially approved in late 2024.
When the Palisade fired in January, repairs had not yet begun. After the fire, Rayfield teams were sent to perform initial repairs and inspect additional damage.
With the repairs completed, DWP said in a statement that the engineer is working on a solution to the reservoir cover.
The currently partially buried reservoir has a total storage capacity of 117 million gallons.
According to the DWP, the main role of the Santay Nez Reservoir is to provide supplementary supply during high water usage. The agency said the reservoir also provides redundancy if there is a problem with other infrastructure supplied to the area.
Unlike the outdoor reservoir used in emergency firefighting, the Santay Nez Reservoir is “an important part of the drinking water distribution system and remains covered for safety and cleanliness.” Even when the reservoir went offline, the main water supply said “will remain in operation that meets the requirements of the fire code.”
Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.
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