LA Issues Ocean Water Quality Warning Due to Firefighting Runoff
The fierce wildfires that have ripped through Los Angeles County over the past two days have destroyed more than 5,000 homes and claimed at least five lives, and the disaster is far from over. While the response is focused on containing the fires and minimizing the cost to lives and property, Los Angeles County has warned that the event will have consequences for the local marine environment as well. Firefighters are drenching affected areas with water from local reservoirs and from fire mains, and the runoff - including an array of unknown toxic compounds - is washing into the sea.
Effective Thursday, the LA County health department has issued an ocean water advisory because of the unusually large volume of runoff from ongoing fire-fighting efforts. The department advised beachgoers to avoid all contact with the surf for now, especially near fire-damaged properties and the outlets of storm drains, creeks, and rivers. The contaminants and debris from firefighting water could create a health hazard for the public, the agency warned. The precautionary notice includes any runoff that is found in pools on the beach sand.
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— Dr Ahmad Rehan Khan (@AhmadRehanKhan) January 9, 2025
Completely destroyed in California Wild Fires.
Average beach homes in Malibu start at $6 million dollars and can go up as far as $210 million.#CaliforniaWildfires #MalibuFirespic.twitter.com/9D793qLAPj
Rows of burned luxury beachfront properties on the shores of Malibu, January 9
The advisory covers the area from Malibu's famous Surfrider Beach all the way to Dockweiler Beach in El Segundo, a distance of about 20 miles of shoreline.
"Individuals who enter the water in these areas could become ill. This advisory will remain in effect until three days after fire-fighting efforts end," the agency warned.