Is the tap water safe?
Experts weigh in on how fires have impacted LA drinking water
If there’s one topic that seems to be dominating my group chats and subscriber emails right now, it’s questions about water safety. This makes sense. Rain is causing concerns about fire debris and runoff entering our bodies of water, and people have started returning to burn areas, where water quality has been impacted. When we consider the “disaster after the disaster,” our water is one of the most pressing concerns.
So, how do we know if our tap water is safe to drink, or shower with? Can we trust and rely on information from our water providers? And, what areas of LA are most impacted by water concerns?
To understand more, I spoke with Dr. Mark Gold, Director for Water Scarcity Solutions at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Kevin Phillips, the District Manager of Paradise Irrigation District, who managed the water restoration process for the town of Paradise following their fires in 2018. Let’s explore what I’ve learned so far.
How do fires contaminate water?
As we’ve detailed previously in this newsletter, there are two main types of water contamination that can occur following a fire. The first happens as a result of depressurization. When water is being redirected to fight fires—and when burned structures cause open water lines—our water pipes lose pressure and suck other things in. “It creates a vacuum that has the ability to pull contaminants back into the system,” explains Phillips. These contaminants include the volatile organic compounds (VOC), like benzene and xylene, that we’ve been hearing so much about over the past month.
The other type of water contamination that can occur post-fire is source water contamination, which occurs when fire ash and debris enter source water—the rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and groundwater that act as sources of drinking water.
What type of contamination are we dealing with in LA?
Do Not Drink notices remain in effect for many of the neighborhoods near the Palisades and Eaton fires. These areas were impacted by depressurization, which means the water here likely has higher levels of VOCs. Drinking, bathing, and boiling this water is not advised. While the Palisades is serviced by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the areas around the Eaton fire get water from smaller providers. It may remain important to follow up with your water providers if you live in these areas. If you’re unsure of your water provider, you can check this website.
Now, let’s talk about source water contamination—the type of contamination that comes from ash and fire debris entering bodies of water that are sources for drinking water. If you’ve been following the local news (or this newsletter), you may be aware that the rainfall we got in late January resulted in a lot of fire debris runoff. This “first flush,” (a term for the first tenth of an inch of rain following a dry period) caused debris from the fires to enter some of our bodies of water, like our oceans, bays, and rivers. Luckily, however, LA sources most of its tap water from further away. Gold says he’s not currently worried about source water contamination: “I don’t think that’s something the public needs to concern themselves with.”
What does this mean for my tap water?
If you live in a burn area, or adjacent area, you may be dealing with VOC contamination from depressurization, and should take precautions accordingly. This means paying attention to any alerts you receive from your water provider, but it may also mean following up more directly to ensure you’re receiving updated and accurate information.
Tips for talking to your water provider
It can be hard to shift gears from receiving alerts to following up directly with utilities companies, but both Phillips and Gold recommend reaching out if you aren’t satisfied with the level of communication you’re receiving from your water provider. “I absolutely encourage individuals to to ask questions,” says Phillips. He emphasizes that transparent, robust communication from water providers is key to ensure long-term trust and safety.
“It’s completely fair for anyone who’s been affected to ask their water district what’s going on,” Gold says. “I encourage people to keep doing that.”
Here are some specific questions you may want to ask your water provider:
What contaminants have you tested for? The state of California requires water providers to test for benzene, a VOC known to cause cancer—but, it doesn’t require water providers to test for every VOC that could possibly result from a fire of this type. Phillips says this is because EPA standards are based on the type of contamination we’ve typically seen in drinking water, not the sort of unprecedented event we all just lived through. Basically, we never imagined most of these chemicals would enter our water supply. For example, call me old fashioned, but when I grew up, no one around me owned an electric car—let alone dozens in a single neighborhood. These cars have lithium batteries that release hazardous materials when burned. Is your water provider testing for those chemicals? It might be worth asking. This list, shared by Professor Andrew Whelton, summarizes the chemicals that providers should ideally be testing for in the aftermath of a major fire. You can ask your water provider about this list.
How much benzene, or other VOCs, are in my water? The EPA in the state of California regulates drinking water as safe if it has less than one part per billion of benzene. Note that this is more conservative than the national EPA standard, which requires less than five parts per billion of benzene. That being said, you may prefer your water not have any benzene in it at all. This is where personal decision-making comes in.
For context, Phillips says that the town of Paradise made a case to FEMA that the agency should help them get to a point where their water was benzene-free, because FEMA is responsible for accounting for disaster-related damages. “We made the argument that there was no benzene before the fire,” Phillips explains. “So, even if it was between .5—which is your detection limit—to 1 part, which is your drinking limit…we still considered that service lateral damaged, and asked for FEMA to help us replace it.” As an individual, you may not be making this sort of argument to FEMA, but as a community, you might.
How recently did you test the water? It can take time for water providers to assess how much contamination there has been in a given area—and whether there is the potential for recontamination. In Paradise, Phillips and his team worked quickly, but it still took about 18 months to fully clear every lateral and ensure there was no potential for recontamination.
Tips for returning home
If you had to evacuate your home due to the fires, water contamination may be a key issue holding you back from re-entering your living space. And, it’s not the sort of problem that can be treated as an afterthought. “Water is the only utility that you pay for on a monthly basis that you consume,” Phillips points out.
If you’re returning home to a burn zone, or adjacent zone, it’s crucial to understand what information your water provider can and cannot provide. “From a water district standpoint, or a water company standpoint, the liability always ends at the meter,” Phillips says. “Their job is to bring water from whatever source…through the distribution system, and then to that meter.” He explains that it’s the homeowner or landlord’s responsibility to assess the service lateral that goes into your home from the meter. The water district is unlikely to be able to test the water in your home, but this document provides guidance for homeowners looking to test their own water. Phillips agreed it could be a helpful asset for tenants who need information from landlords.
You’re probably eager to get back into your space, and your insurance company shares this sense of urgency. They don’t want to spend any more money than they have to helping you pay for temporary housing while you wait to return home—and water safety may not be their top concern. Phillips says if there’s a water advisory in your area, you can often make the case to your insurance company that your home isn’t livable. In response, insurance companies sometimes offer to bring in their own private companies to assess or clean water—but, these companies often can’t decontaminate your water to the extent that’s needed. “I definitely would push back if you don't feel safe…going back to your home because of a water advisory,” Phillips says.
What if I don’t live in, or near, a burn site?
Remember those two types of water contamination I talked about at the beginning of this article? It’s okay if you don’t; I’ll recap them here: The first was contamination from depressurization, which we believe to have occurred in areas near the Palisades and Eaton fires. A vacuum effect causes VOCs to be pulled into the water system.
The other type of contamination was source water contamination, which can happen from ash and fire debris entering bodies of water that serve as sources for drinking water. If you don’t live in a or adjacent to a burn site, and you don’t have an active water advisory, my understanding is that you’d only need to be concerned about potential source water contamination. While ash rained down all over LA, and rain has caused runoff to enter our oceans, rivers, and bays, we source most of our water from further sites, like the Colorado and Owens Rivers, Mono Lake Basin, and reservoirs on the eastern slopes of the southern Sierra. This system, like many in the Southwest, is precarious due to increasing droughts, but it does mean that the majority of our source water was likely unaffected by the recent fires.
If you are still concerned, you can always take the precautions outlined above: reach out to your water provider to access updated information, and follow the precautions outlined for your own home—like flushing your pipes, or contacting your landlord for a status update.
Safety Pin
Fires of the scale we’ve witnessed in LA can cause water contamination—especially in burn areas, and adjacent areas. While the burden of responsibility should be on water providers to share information, data, and service alerts, it may require some self-advocacy to get the answers you need. Don’t be afraid to work with your neighbors and larger community to keep asking questions, and pushing for transparent communication.
As with much of the fallout from this crisis, it’s going to take some time to fully understand the repercussions. “I know people really want specifics on what's going to happen,” Gold says. “The big thing is just be incredibly safe—as much as possible. It's going to take a little bit of extra time and a little bit of extra thought, but everybody's health is worth it.” With that, stay safe out there.