Palisades utility restoration took months, LADWP’s one-year report shows

Water pressure returned in January

Pressure in the Pacific Palisades water system was restored on January 16, 2025, nine days after the fire began, according to LADWP’s one-year retrospective. Crews manually shut off leaks at more than 5,000 service connection meters at damaged or destroyed homes and businesses. [1]

Five days earlier, LADWP reported that the tanks serving the Palisades were not yet refilled. Crews had shut off 2,800 house services and had approximately 4,000 more to address, as leaking pipes at destroyed homes were draining water and slowing the return of pressure. [2]

Electricity and drinking-water safety followed in March

By March 2025, LADWP said it had restored electric service to all standing structures in the Palisades. The milestone concerns structures still standing after the fire; it does not describe destroyed homes or establish whether a building was occupied. [1]

The department also reported that safe drinking water was fully restored in March after more than 450 water-quality samples were tested against drinking-water standards. Crews flushed more than 100 miles of mainlines, as well as tanks, hydrants and service laterals. Drinking-water clearance was a separate milestone from the return of water pressure in January. [1]

Temporary power distribution was rebuilt by July

By July 2025, LADWP said the power distribution system had been rebuilt to restore temporary electric service. The work included more than 1,800 poles and over 334,000 feet of conductors. The department described undergrounding as work it pursued where feasible, not as a completed conversion of the neighborhood’s distribution system. [1]

The one-year report says LADWP is conducting block-by-block engineering assessments for undergrounding, considering confined space, geotechnical risks and right-of-way or easement options. Those assessments form part of continuing planning and work. [1]

Utility milestones chart a long recovery

The retrospective records separate milestones: water pressure in January, electricity to standing structures and safe drinking water in March, and temporary electric distribution rebuilding by July. These service and network milestones describe the utility’s restoration work; they do not establish when individual properties became habitable or when residents returned. [1]