The Federal Government’s LADWP has inspected nearly as many drinking water reservoirs, storage tanks
The US environmental protection agency has ordered the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to inspect nearly all of its reservoirs and storage tanks for improper maintenance, the agency announced Thursday.
The EPA identified violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act, such as unsecured openings and non-compliant system cleaning, during an inspection in July 2024, according to a news release.
ladwp said in a statement that it signed a consent order with the EPA on December 3 to resolve concerns raised from the EPA’s 2024 Inspection of 18 water storage tanks without a lawsuit.
The consent order did not contain any evidence of water pollution, but they noted that if left unchecked it could be a risk of pollution.
“It is important to note that extensive water quality data shows that Ladwp’s drinking water service for customers has met, and continues to meet, all drinking water regulations,” the agency said.
Under the order, use has until December 31, 2031, to inspect approximately good tanks and storage tanks and take action to address any deficiencies found, according to the epa. It must also conduct internal cleaning of more than 50 reservoirs where there are gaps in the documentation or the time since the cleaning was recorded.
“Public water systems must properly maintain their infrastructure to ensure that their customers’ faucets continue to be safe,” said the EPA Pacific Southwest Enforcement and Assurance Statement Director, said in a statement. “The EPA’s top priority is making sure that Ladwp quickly addresses these risks to protect the millions who depend on the system.”
The EPA found unsafe openings in all 18 tanks inspected, according to the consent order. LADWP provided the EPA with inspection records of its 81 drinking water storage sites, showing that 56 sites did not report data for 10 or more years, according to 10 years or more, according to 10 years or more, according to 10 years or more, according to 10 years or more, according to 10 years or more, according to the order.
The announcement comes amid months of criticism from the Trump administration over California and Los Angeles’ water management systems during the Palikade and Eaton fires.
In September, Sen Sensis. Rick Scott (R-FLA.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wish Johnson (R-Wisy.) Introduce Santa Ynez Remediation A state review released last month found that even if the reservoir were full, the water system would still lose pressure quickly due to the limited number of pipes in the area.
Gregory Pierce, director of UCLA’s Well Water group, said it is unusual but not unheard of for a local agency to enter into a consent order with a paper water violation.
“I don’t see much [consent orders] With drinking water drinking systems, and I don’t see many announced in this way about the problems, yes they should be dealt with, but they are not too worried, especially since there is no evidence of contamination, “he said.
“I have no reason to think that this way of consent would have happened if it was not for the politics between the federal government and the administration and the town of La,” he added.
