County Will Study Adding About 10 Emergency Generators To Pump Water Into Malibu
Written by 991KBU on June 9, 2020
The head of the county water system that serves Malibu says the district will immediately study whether there are enough emergency power generators at the city’s water tanks.
Residents of Big Rock have been kicking in … contributing their own money to add generators at the water tanks that hold water for their neighborhood.
They are asking for 75 thousand dollars from the city to help install emergency generators at the water tanks in the Big Rock neighborhood … at the city’s eastern end.
But the head of the L-A County Department of Public Works says he is ordering a Malibu-wide study … to be finished this summer … to determine where and hoe many generators are actually needed … across both Malibu and Topanga Canyon.
Mark Pestrella said there are 8 to 10 locations in Malibu and Topanga where generators might be needed.
But as to neighborhoods buying their own generators?
NEWSCART 75665 PESTRELLA
“I don’t personally think that’s the right approach.
“I actually think this people are paying to district fees, like the rest of the Malibu (Waterworks District) 29, and the district can afford to pay because it is it a priority to do it.
“We may not agree that is making the system up that they can fight a wildfire with … but we do agree that is good make the system more resilient and make the community more resilient by having a stationary system there.”
Pestrella is the head of Los Angeles County Department of Public Works … and the county has repeatedly said that Malibu’s water system is not designed to put out a brushfire.
It’s barely big enough to put on one house fire.
And the county has in the past said it has enough portable generators to get them to pumping stations as needed … during power blackouts or before big windstorms arrive.
But Pestrella says by the middle of August … he will finish a study on whether that is a good policy …
Or … if adding pumps that can be supplied during power outages or fires.
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The city council will consider talking about a 4 person council and citywide mayor … puttng that on the November ballot.
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And at 1:17 this Tuesday morning, the Malibu City Council voted 5-0 to move towards extending the deadlines for fee waivers for fire-destroyed houses by 6 months.
