Water for Major Event Firefighting and 2025 Water Outlook

How Could Fire Hydrants Run Dry When We Need them Most?

We have all watched the valiant efforts of firefighters to control the major fires in the greater Los Angeles area. An item of concern arose when some threatened residential areas ran out of water for the fire hydrant system, rendering much of the firefighting effort ineffective. The Governor has asked for an examination of how and why this occurred, and we will all learn details when it is published. For now, let me explain how most urban water distribution systems are designed and operated.

Generally, urban water systems depend on gravity to provide water pressure and flow through the system. This is most often achieved by building storage tanks at higher elevations, pumping water into the tanks, and allowing water to flow downhill to homes, businesses, and fire hydrants below the tank. The system is designed to pump water into the tanks when the demand for water is low and allow them to release water into the system as it is demanded. The pumps and pipes that refill the tanks are usually not designed to add water as fast as they leave the tanks at peak demand, and most systems are not designed to serve prolonged periods of peak demand.

Most urban water systems are not designed to operate at peak demand for long periods of time, and when they do, the tanks run dry, and the system ceases to function. This is what happened in some portions of water systems in the recent fires. Many fire hydrants were operating, and residents and business owners were using hoses to fight the oncoming fires. This drained the storage tanks faster than the pumps could refill them, and eventually, the system ran dry. There may have been instances where electricity was shut off to areas, including pumping stations, due to the high winds. If backup power was not available, the pumps could not operate at all, resulting in a more rapid draining of the storage tanks.

I expect there will be discussion of whether water systems should be upgraded, or at least designed in the future, to have more pumping and piping capacity to refill the storage tanks more quickly. This may or may not be the best thing to do. It will be very expensive, and we will individually have to contribute to the cost, whether as a ratepayer or a taxpayer, or both. This is a discussion with serious ramifications. I hope we approach it thoughtfully.

Water Outlook for 2025

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a La Nina event for this winter. Normally, La Nina events are drier than normal but include major severe storms that may bring a lot of precipitation, such as rain or snow. So far this year, it has been very dry in Southern California since the water year started on October 1. However, the rest of the State and the Colorado River Basin have fared better.

Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains runs at about 91% of the average. Snowfall in the Upper Colorado River Basin is also doing well so far this season. More importantly, California’s reservoirs are mostly above-average storage for this time of year, and a lot of water was added to groundwater basins throughout the state over the past two wet years. As an example, The Metropolitan Water District added 45,000 acre-feet of groundwater to the Chino Basin in 2024.

All of this stored water will carry us through two to three years of drought if that is what is coming. That said, we should all continue to use water wisely. Our local water providers and the state should continue to develop better stormwater capture systems and water storage facilities. Several important things are in the works, including the Delta Conveyance Project and the Sites Reservoir Project at the state level, and a number of Southern California projects, including a potential new large reservoir close to the coast to store State Water Project water for Metropolitan Water District members in that area.

Fasten your seat belts for yet another exciting year in the world of water.