As evacuation orders are lifted, clean water should be the main concern for residents who are able to return to their homes.
Many people don’t realize the extent to which their communities’ drinking water systems may have been damaged by fire, how their water is affected, and what they can do about it.
Supply systems are not designed to fight wildfires. When water runs out, the system becomes vulnerable to chemical contamination.
Drinking water contamination can also come from the air and from damage to water system infrastructure.
The heat can partially melt plastic pipes and water meters, releasing chemicals; smoke can be sucked into water systems; and disruptions in infrastructure can introduce contamination.
Analysis carried out by environmental engineer Andrew J. Whelton.
Most destructive fires in history
The Eaton and Palisades fires are the first and second most destructive in Southern California history. “The Palisades alone is the size of Manhattan; imagine the debris,” mentioned McIlreavy.
Cleaning up hazardous waste alone can take three to six months, a source told CNN .
And this is just the first step before property owners and government officials can return to properties to begin cleaning up non-hazardous debris, which could take many months to complete.
About 500 Environmental Protection Agency employees will work with the state to begin cleaning up hazards such as compressed gas cylinders, paint thinners, pesticides, fertilizers and ammunition, the regional administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced. English), Robert Fenton Jr., on Wednesday (15).
The EPA will work with law enforcement to safely dispose of large lithium-ion batteries destroyed in the fire, such as those in electric vehicles and home power banks that store energy from solar panels. Once damaged, they pose a major safety risk.
“This will be one of the biggest cleanups in relation to lithium-ion batteries,” said the agency official.
They need to be treated as unexploded ordnance due to their volatility. Batteries damaged by fire or salt water can explode and take a long time to extinguish due to the persistent chain reaction within them – something that also causes them to occasionally reignite.
Authorities are working “quickly” to complete their first phase of hazardous debris removal so that families can return to their properties as quickly as possible, said California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Yana Garcia.
“We are aware of people’s desire to return to their homes,” Garcia told CNN .
This content was originally published in Los Angeles fires could contaminate drinking water systems on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
