The 117-million-gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir near Pacific Palisades was empty when the Los Angeles fire broke out. Here's what we know.

Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117-gallon water resource near Pacific Palisadeswas being renovated and was vacant at the time. fire Firefighters quickly depleted available water supplies as fires broke out in the Los Angeles area last week, city officials said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he would launch an independent state investigation into the loss of water pressure and lack of water in reservoirs. He directed the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) to prepare a “comprehensive review” of its efforts to ensure available water supplies during emergencies.

this fence fire The eruption on Tuesday, January 7, and by 3 a.m., three 1-million-gallon water tanks in Pacific Palisades were “extreme needs,” officials said. gust Stops going over 100 mph air support From helping to dousing flame and Other water sources.

“We have huge demand on our system in Palisades. We push the system to the extreme,” DWP CEO and chief engineer Janisse Quiñones said at a news conference on Wednesday. “The demand for 15 consecutive hours is normal demand. Four times, which reduces our water pressure.”

Here's what we know about the reservoir and its role in the Palisades water system.

Why was the Santa Ynez Reservoir empty when the fire started?

The DWP said in a statement that the reservoir had been taken out of use “to meet safe drinking water regulations”. Cracks in the reservoir's lid contaminated the water supply, leading the agency to drain it in February, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“The water system serving the Pacific Palisades area and all of Los Angeles complies with all federal and state urban development and housing fire regulations,” the release said.

DWP representatives did not respond to further questions from CBS News about the reservoir. The agency's statement indicated that the reservoir has been vacant for nearly a year in part because of a maintenance contract with a company.

“In order to commission support and resources to make repairs to Santa Ynez, LADWP must comply with the City Charter’s competitive bidding process, which takes time,” the statement read.

Some social media users Falsely claiming the reservoir has been vacant for more than a decade, citing satellite images as purported evidence. In 2011, a floating cover was installed on the reservoir, which changed the appearance of the reservoir in satellite images, but the reservoir was returned to service in 2011, according to the DWP website.

Can reservoirs help fight fires?

The reservoir is designed to provide water storage for “domestic use and firefighting purposes in the Pacific Palisades area,” according to city documents.

DWP said the agency is investigating its “water resiliency.” But experts and officials agree that wildfire Whether the Santa Ynez reservoir is full or not, it will put pressure on the city's water supply.

“While local fire hydrant water supplies are not designed to fight large wildfires, the loss of fire hydrant water supplies could harm efforts to protect some homes and evacuation corridors,” Newsom wrote in a letter to DWP.

Dr. David Freiberg, a hydrologist and water resources expert at Stanford University, told CBS News in an email that while a full Santa Ynez would bring benefits, it's unclear how big a impact it would have. Influence.

“The reservoir above Pacific Palisade was not designed to support firefighting on the scale of (this) fire,” he wrote. “Water supply reservoirs are typically designed to respond to house fires rather than wildfires.”

He added that the situation clearly demonstrates the need for larger-scale solutions.

“It's clear that communities that are vulnerable to wildfires need to think carefully about rethinking the design criteria for these systems,” Freberg said. “It's not just reservoirs, it's pipe sizing (and) pressure management.”