This includes 49,000 utility poles, most of which are wooden. DWP equipment poses fewer risks than equipment owned by large private utilities - such as PG&E and Southern California Edison - because its power lines are mostly located in non-forested urban areas however, 15 percent of the DWP’s service territory falls within state-designated wildfire threat areas. It consists of high voltage transmission power lines that carry electricity from power generation facilities into the area, and low voltage power lines that deliver power to residents and businesses. The DWP’s power line infrastructure spans three states - California, Nevada and Utah. It assesses the DWP’s current wildfire prevention efforts and identifies specific actions the utility needs to take to protect communities, first responders, 1.5 million ratepayers, and our environment from the growing threat of catastrophic wildfires. My latest report looks at the DWP - the largest publicly-owned power utility in the country. Under state law, utilities can be deemed liable for damages caused by their equipment, regardless of how well or poorly the equipment was maintained. October’s Kincade fire in Sonoma County, which burned more than 77,000 acres, was caused by downed power lines operated by PG&E, and the subsequent 745-acre Getty Fire in Los Angeles reportedly started when a tree branch fell onto live power lines operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP).
But the danger of wildfires across the state has not diminished. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), the state’s largest private power utility, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year because of liabilities resulting from wildfires that ripped through Northern California in 20, and has implemented a regime of rolling blackouts to prevent blazes during high fire risk periods. Of those 10, overhead power lines were responsible for six, which burned 649,000 acres, destroyed 23,500 structures and killed 108 people. Arson, carelessly tossed cigarettes, and sparks from car engines or overhead power lines colliding with trees or brush are common culprits.Īccording to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, 10 of the state’s 20 most destructive wildfires on record have occurred since 2015. The causes vary - increasingly hot and dry weather attributable to climate change, Santa Ana winds and sometimes lightning - but 85 percent of wildfires stem in some way from the impact of humans on the environment. While wildfires have been a fact of life for more than a century in California, residents are enduring bigger, more destructive fires in recent years.
Re: It Only Takes a Spark: Enhancing DWP’s Wildfire Prevention Strategy Honorable Members of the Los Angeles City Council
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