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Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
Efforts to reduce dust from dry Owens Lake bed are helping, report finds
The dry bed of Owens Lake has long been a major source of dust in the Owens Valley, but mitigation efforts have reduced those emissions to a point that other dust sources in the surrounding desert now cause most of the poor air quality days in the area, according to a new report. Owens Lake was left desiccated after Los Angeles began tapping the eastern Sierra watershed for its own needs more than a century ago. But the amount of dust coming from the lake bed has been declining in recent years as the L.A. Department of Water and Power has taken mitigation measures such as spreading water on parts of the lake bed. 'This is a success story in process,' said Ted Russell, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and chair of the Owens Lake Scientific Advisory Panel. 'You want to be able to understand where these sources are, such that you can better control them.' The panel, which was established in 2018 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, released its report this week detailing research and data on off-lake sources of dust — also known as PM10, particulate matter that measure 10 microns or smaller, and that penetrate into the lungs and can cause health problems. The team said in the report that significant dust sources in areas around the lake include land where floods have left deposits of sand and debris, the Keeler Dunes, the Olancha Dunes, alluvial fans and areas where soil has been disturbed for road infrastructure. The scientists said some of these areas are naturally sources of dust, while others are emitting more of it because of diversions of water or alterations of the landscape by people. Russell said research shows that the DWP's dust control efforts have been successful in reducing PM10 emissions from the lake bed, as well as the frequency of exceedances of air quality standards. The DWP has invested about $2.5 billion in dust mitigation projects on the dry lake bed, using methods including the shallow flooding of the lake bottom, placement of gravel, tillage that roughens the soil and the planting of vegetation that serves as a windbreak. The days with air quality exceedances caused by sources other than the lake have gone up and down in recent years, without a clear trend, Russell said. 'Off-lake sources in this arid environment are significant and are driving a large number of the PM10 exceedances at this time,' Russell said. He said that means bringing the area into attainment with national air quality standards will require additional effects to control the dust sources other than the lakebed. The report was sponsored by the DWP and the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, which regulates air pollution in an area of about 32,000 people. The DWP had no immediate comment on the panel's findings. The scientists noted that on the northeastern side of Owens Lake, the Keeler Dunes transitioned during the last century from a 'largely vegetated dune system' to one that releases more dust. They wrote that 'increased sand transport following the diversion of water from Owens Lake destabilized the Keeler Dunes.' The scientists said ongoing efforts to stabilize the Keeler Dunes have been effective in mitigating dust. The work there has included arranging bales of straw on the sand, which has enabled native shrubs to take root and begin to keep down the blowing dust. The panel said these and other efforts to establish native vegetation hold promise to control dust in other areas and further improve air quality in the Owens Valley.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Yahoo
Los Angeles Fire Department crews battle recycling yard fire near 134 Freeway
Crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department fought a fire at a recycling yard in Los Angeles on Sunday morning. Flames were first reported at the recycling yard, located at 5487 West San Fernando Road in the Atwater Village neighborhood, around 9:30 a.m. Sunday, per LAFD. The fire originally threatened several compressed natural gas trucks, fire officials said in their first update on the situation. 2 teens dead after out-of-control high-speed crash in Los Angeles As firefighters started to gain control of the blaze, smoke drifted over the 134 Freeway, and motorists were advised for a time to avoid traveling on surface streets through the area. Video posted to the Citizen App shows a plume of black smoke billowing over the roadway as the fire raged throughout the yard. The cleanup is expected to take some time due to the 'manipulation of materials involved in this fire,' LAFD said just after 10 a.m. Sunday. A drone unit was requested to aid with visual intelligence gathering, and the L.A. Department of Water and Power was dispatched to the scene to assist with threatened power lines and transformers. Palm Desert woman sentenced for igniting dangerous strip mall fire LAFD is also in contact with Metrolink officials to ensure the security and operational safety of nearby train tracks, the department said at 11 a.m. What started the blaze is unknown as of early Sunday afternoon. The recycling yard is located on San Fernando Road just east of the Los Angeles River and the interchange between the 134 and 5 Freeways on the border of L.A. and Glendale. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Palisades water supply cleared for drinking as Bass touts speed of fire recovery
Residents and businesses in Pacific Palisades will be able to safely use water this week, Mayor Karen Bass announced Thursday, touting the milestone as a sign of the speed of efforts to rebuild the devastated neighborhood. The "do not drink" notice will be lifted Friday, the two-month anniversary of the deadly Palisades fire, after engineers and experts at the L.A. Department of Water and Power confirmed the absence of contaminants in the water supply. Bass credited DWP crews for working seven days a week to restore and flush out toxic substances from the water supply, drawing a comparison to the November 2018 wildfire in Paradise, where the do-not-drink advisory remained in place until May 2020. "In the tragic Camp Fire, it took 18 months. It was done here in two," Bass said at a news conference at Palisades Recreation Center. "I'm committed to rebuilding this community at lightning speed." Janisse Quiñones, chief engineer and chief executive of DWP, said that before using water Friday, residents and businesses in the Palisades should flush their systems for at least 10 minutes, turning on all spigots, showers and faucets. Customers will receive a $50 credit on their next bill, "so you don't have to worry about the cost of running water," Quiñones said. Read more: Inside the battle to restore drinking water in Altadena and Pacific Palisades "We flushed the system all the way to the meter," said Quiñones, who called on residents to finish the flushing process inside their homes and eliminate any remaining contaminants. "Once you flush it and the water comes clear inside your structure, we know the water from the meter is clean — so you should be good." Residents and businesses will be able to drink, shower and cook with the water as they had prior to the wildfire. At the Palisades Recreation Center, Bass and city officials also highlighted progress in the recovery efforts since the Jan. 7 blaze, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people. Noting that the Environmental Protection Agency completed debris removal last week in a third of the time originally projected, Bass said that 60 properties were now in Phase Three — the permitting and rebuilding process. Bass thanked the Trump administration for providing the staff and resources "to move so quickly." Both Bass and the DWP chief reiterated their commitment to "undergrounding" power lines in the Palisades. Parts of the Palisades — including the Highlands and some streets in Castellammare — already had underground power lines. DWP engineers began planning the move about a week after the Jan. 7 fire broke out and have so far designed 4,000 feet of new underground lines that are now "ready for construction," Quiñones said. Read more: What — or who — started the Palisades fire? Two leading theories emerge as investigation intensifies "The goal is to have all of Palisades with new underground infrastructure, power infrastructure," Quiñones said. Underground lines are protected from wind, falling branches and lightning, reducing the risk of sparking a wildfire. DWP plans to place underground the 80 miles of electric lines across the Palisades area, a process that can take several years. Each mile of subterranean electric line can cost from $1 million to $4 million, and Quiñones said the utility was assessing how to finance the overall installation. Meanwhile, Quiñones said, the utility has rebuilt distribution systems and replaced 800 power poles to restore electricity to nearly every customer. As of Thursday, 143 customers in "hard to reach areas" of the hilly, coastal neighborhood remained without power, Quiñones said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
06-03-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Palisades water supply cleared for drinking as Bass touts speed of recovery
Residents and businesses in Pacific Palisades will be able to safely use water this week, Mayor Karen Bass announced Thursday, touting the milestone as a sign of the speed of efforts to rebuild the devastated neighborhood. The 'Do Not Drink' notice will be lifted Friday, the two-month anniversary of the deadly Palisades fire, after engineers and experts at the L.A. Department of Water and Power confirmed the absence of contaminants in the water supply. Bass credited DWP crews for working seven days a week to restore and flush out toxins from the water supply, drawing a comparison to the November 2018 wildfire in Paradise, where the do-not-drink advisory remained in place until May 2020. 'In the tragic Camp Fire, it took 18 months. It was done here in two,' Bass said at a press conference at Palisades Recreation Center. 'I'm committed to rebuilding this community at lightning speed.' Janisse Quiñones, chief engineer and CEO of DWP, said that before using water Friday, residents and businesses in the Palisades should flush the system for at least 10 minutes, turning on all spigots, showers and faucets. Customers will receive a $50 credit on their next bill, 'so you don't have to worry about the cost of running water,' Quiñones said. 'We flushed the system all the way to the meter,' said Quiñones, who called on residents to finish the flushing process inside their homes and eliminate any remaining contaminants. 'Once you flush it and the water comes clear inside your structure, we know the water from the meter is clean — so you should be good.' Residents and businesses will be able to drink, shower and cook with the water as they had prior to the wildfire. At the Palisades Recreation Center, Bass and city officials also highlighted progress in the recovery efforts since the Jan. 7 blaze, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people. Noting that the Environmental Protection Agency completed debris removal last week in a third of the time originally projected, Bass said that 60 properties were now in phase three — the permitting and rebuilding process. Bass thanked the Trump administration for providing the staff and resources 'to move so quickly.' Both Bass and the DWP chief reiterated their commitment to 'undergrounding' power lines in the Palisades. Parts of the Palisades — including the Highlands and some streets in Castellammare — already had underground power lines. DWP engineers began planning the move about a week after the Jan. 7 fire broke out and have so far designed 4,000 feet of new underground lines that are now 'ready for construction,' Quiñones said. 'The goal is to have all of Palisades with new underground infrastructure, power infrastructure,' Quiñones said. Underground lines are protected from wind, falling branches and lightning, reducing the risk of sparking a wildfire. DWP plans to place underground the 80 miles of electric lines across the Palisades area, a process that can take several years. Each mile of subterranean electric line can cost from $1 million to $4 million, and Quiñones said the utility was assessing how to finance the overall installation. Meanwhile, Quiñones said, the utility has rebuilt distribution systems and replaced 800 power poles to restore electricity to nearly every customer. As of Thursday, 143 customers in 'hard to reach areas' of the hilly, coastal neighborhood remained without power, Quiñones said.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meryl Streep cut a ‘car-size hole in the fence' to escape L.A. fire: ‘Determined to make it out'
Meryl Streep jumped into action when an obstacle almost prevented her from evacuating her home as the deadly fires swept through Los Angeles this month. The Oscar winner's nephew, Abe Streep, wrote about her nerve-wracking escape in an article for New York Magazine about the fires published on Tuesday. He revealed that when Streep, 75, tried to evacuate her home on January 8, one day after several wildfires began scorching the city, she was forced to cut a large enough hole in her fence to drive her car through after a tree blocked her only exit. 'Evacuation mandates were sent across the city. My aunt Meryl Streep received an order to evacuate on January 8, but when she tried to leave, she discovered that a large tree had fallen over in her driveway, blocking her only exit,' her nephew, an author, wrote. 'Determined to make it out, she borrowed wire cutters from a neighbor, cut a car-size hole in the fence she shared with the neighbors on the other side, and drove through their yard to escape.' The Post reached out to the actress for comment. Streep's rumored boyfriend, her 'Only Murders in the Building' co-star, Martin Short, 74, also spoke to her nephew, detailing his struggle to escape his Pacific Palisades neighborhood after one of his sons warned him to evacuate his home. Short took family photo albums and drove toward the Pacific Coast Highway in an attempt to flee — only to discover the exits from his neighborhood were clogged. 'He remained in his car, where it took him more than an hour to cover a distance that would normally take five minutes. Others abandoned their vehicles and began to walk. The skies darkened, turning day into night,' Streep's nephew wrote. He interviewed 'The Sixth Sense' star Haley Joel Osment, too, following the wildfires that displaced tens of thousands of residents and took the lives of at least 29 people. While several stars lost their homes in the Palisades Fire, Osment, 36, was affected by the Eaton Fire that took place over 40 miles away. The actor revealed he had returned from filming a new movie when the fire broke out near his home in Altadena. Osment shared he lost the piano that his parents had given him for his eighteenth birthday and 500 records but plans to rebuild his property. He also disclosed that his father lost his home. 'Not to cast blame or anything, but I just want to know, when this is all investigated — was there a decision to just let the whole neighborhood go?' Osment asked while speaking to New York Magazine. Several people have sued the city of Los Angeles and the L.A. Department of Water and Power, including Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag. The reality TV couple are suing over the damage to their $3 million house, which was destroyed in the Palisades wildfire.
