Water Infrastructure as Wildfire Defense

Traditional assumptions about municipal water systems serving as primary wildfire defense require urgent reconsideration. The San Gabriel foothill communities, with their complex network of water districts and varied infrastructure, illustrate how conventional systems may be fundamentally inadequate for modern wildfire challenges.

Our current infrastructure operates near capacity during normal conditions, particularly in elevated areas where intense pressure is required for basic service. The research reveals that these systems, designed primarily for domestic water supply and isolated structure fires, face multiple stress points during major fire events. Storage tanks, while substantial in total capacity - for example, Lincoln Avenue Water Company's seven reservoirs hold 10.5 million gallons - can be rapidly depleted when multiple hydrants are activated simultaneously.

The vulnerability of power-dependent pumping stations presents another critical weakness. While gravity-fed systems provide some resilience, many foothill areas require electrical pumping to maintain pressure at higher elevations. During wildfires, when power systems are often compromised, this dependency can lead to catastrophic pressure losses precisely when water is most needed.

Infrastructure damage during fires creates a cascading failure scenario. As the research notes, burning structures release water from damaged pipes, further depleting system pressure. This was dramatically demonstrated during the 2018 Woolsey fire, where neighborhoods experienced insufficient or no water pressure due to this combination of high demand and system damage.

Given these realities, continuing to view traditional water infrastructure as a primary wildfire defense tool may create dangerous complacency. Communities require a fundamental rethinking of both infrastructure design and development patterns to address the escalating challenges of climate-driven fire events.

Research Link