For LA water issues, misinformation spreads nearly as fast as the wildfires

[January 16, 2025]  By MELISSA GOLDIN and BRITTANY PETERSON

A billionaire couple was accused of withholding water that could help stop Los Angeles' massive wildfires. Democratic leadership was blamed for fire hydrants running dry and for an empty reservoir. Firefighters were criticized for allegedly using “women's handbags" to fight the fires.

Those are just a few of the false or misleading claims that have emerged amid general criticism about California's water management sparked by the fierce Los Angeles fires.

Much of the misinformation is being spread “because it offers an opportunity to take potshots at California Democratic leadership while simultaneously distracting attention from the real contributing factors, especially the role of climate change,” said Peter Gleick, senior fellow at the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit he co-founded that focuses on global water sustainability.

Attacks on a water bank
Social media users have claimed that Stewart and Lynda Resnick, co-owners of a massive agriculture company that has a majority stake in California’s Kern Water Bank, control California’s water and have refused to lend enough to firefighting efforts.

The water bank stores up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water underground for agricultural, municipal and industrial use during dry years. The water gets used by the Resnicks' company, The Wonderful Company, known for such brands as Fiji Water and Wonderful Pistachios. It also serves Bakersfield and other farmers in Kern County.

But the water bank is more than 100 miles north of Los Angeles and plays no part in its water supply. The Wonderful Company said there was “zero truth” that it controls California water or has anything to do with water going to Los Angeles. Kern Water Bank didn't respond to a request for comment.

The Wonderful Company has faced criticism over its extensive water use, especially in times of drought, and its control of what many consider a public resource. But Gleick said neither the Resnicks nor their company have anything to do with water supply issues around the wildfires.

“There are many problems with how California allocates water among users and especially the control of water by large agribusinesses, exemplified by the Resnicks, but those problems are completely unrelated to the LA fires and efforts to control them,” he said.

Claims over dry hydrants, empty reservoir
Some fire hydrants in Los Angeles ran dry in early efforts to fight the fires, prompting a swirl of criticism on social media, including from President-elect Donald Trump, against the water management policies of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. State and local officials and experts said critics were connecting unrelated issues and spreading false information. State water distribution choices were not behind the hydrant problems, they said, nor was a lack of overall supply in the region.

Officials said the hydrants were overstressed for hours as aerial firefighting wasn't possible because of high winds. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said they were pumping plenty of water into the system, but demand was so high that it wasn’t enough to refill three million-gallon tanks in Pacific Palisades that help pressurize hydrants there.

Volunteers stack donated water for people impacted by the Altadena Fire at a donation center at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Janisse Quiñones, head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said at a news conference that 3 million gallons of water were available when the Palisades fire started but demand was four times greater than ever seen. Hydrants are designed for fighting fires at one or two houses at a time, not hundreds, Quiñones said, and refilling the tanks also requires asking fire departments to pause firefighting. Bass said 20% of hydrants went dry.

Critics also questioned why the 117-million gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir that contributes water for drinking and firefighting in Pacific Palisades was empty when the fires broke out. Some social media users said officials should be jailed over the empty reservoir, or alleged that officials view diversity, equity and inclusion policies as more important than getting things done.

The reservoir has been empty for nearly a year awaiting repairs to a rubber cover that were required to provide safe drinking water, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which owns and operates it. The agency also said competitive bidding requires time.

Marty Adams, who retired last spring, was the general manager and chief engineer at LADWP when the reservoir was drained. He said it was difficult to see the full scope of damage without draining the reservoir, and once that was done officials realized the repairs would be a bigger job than expected.

Adams said the reservoir likely could not have been refilled fast enough to be of much use fighting fires.

Newsom has called for an independent investigation into the hydrants and the reservoir. At least one lawsuit has already been filed over the reservoir issue.

Fighting flames with purses?
Video of firefighters throwing water onto flames with small bags spread widely on social media. Some posts ridiculed the use of “women's handbags” and alleged money that could have been used to buy proper equipment was spent elsewhere, such as on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives or foreign aid. But the state said the small canvas bags seen in the videos are routinely used by the Los Angeles Fire Department to fight small trash fires, and can be more efficient than a long hose in some situations.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose district includes the Palisades fire, said misinformation is demoralizing for firefighters.

“When they hear that there’s a suspicion that they didn’t put their best foot forward, that they weren’t at their best, that they weren’t excellent in terms of the service that they deliver, of course that’s crushing,” she said.

Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, executive director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, called the misinformation “irresponsible" and said it affects the actions people take and the way they cope with trauma.

“The spread of false information at a time of crisis is nothing short of deadly,” she said.

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