Palisades Fire cleanup: Regional updates

Throughout the Palisades Fire emergency and ongoing recovery efforts, the city of Santa Monica has worked closely with regional partners to protect public safety in our community and respond to resident questions and concerns.  

Our work is based on our city’s foundational belief that we are collectively responsible for preventing harm to the natural environment and human health. 

We appreciate the public's patience as we work to gather information and make the operational decisions that prevent local damage while being mindful of our environmental responsibilities.  

Below is a summary of regional efforts. 

What agencies are responsible for environmental testing, debris cleanup and public health alerts? 

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is the city of Santa Monica’s public health and environmental health agency. Public Health conducts regular ocean water quality testing and issues alerts and advisories when bacteria levels exceed state standards. Find the latest information here. 

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board is collaborating with the State Water Board’s Emergency Management Program to support recovery efforts for the regional wildfires. Find the latest information here. 

The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, or DBH, operates and maintains public beaches to the north and south of Santa Monica. DBH has been working with Los Angeles County Public Works and the Regional Water Quality Control Board to test the dark, ashy sediment on the beaches for hazardous materials and other contaminants. DBH crews are also responsible for removing fire debris from the public beaches under county jurisdiction. Find the latest information here. 

The South Coast Air Quality Management District provides information about regional air quality through an existing air monitoring network that includes regulatory monitors, portable instruments and private sensors. This includes regional pollutants such as ozone, particulates (found in wildfire smoke and dust), sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. They began an expanded air monitoring effort in response to cleanup efforts following the Eaton and Palisades fires. Find more information here.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, has tasked over 500 state personnel to conduct the state’s largest watershed protection mission. These efforts are coordinated by environmental experts, engineers and emergency management teams. Find more information here. 

Any wildfire debris in Santa Monica’s storm drains at Montana Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard has washed up from the ocean, not flowed down from the wildfire zones.   

Wildfire debris on private property is handled in two phases. Phase 1 household hazardous debris removal is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Phase 2 general debris removal is completed by either a specialized, approved contractor or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  

Property owners within the burn zone determine who will complete Phase 2 debris removal from their property. All private contracts must follow necessary requirements, rules and regulations. Find more information here. 

What is Santa Monica’s role? 

Santa Monica leadership has been working in close coordination with regional, state and federal agencies to advocate for the community and ensure relevant information is shared. City officials are participating in a multi-agency Joint Information Center to share information and are in regular contact with our partners. 

In addition, Santa Monica has taken the following actions in response to post-wildfire beach conditions and water quality concerns: 

• Denied a request from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement a hazardous debris staging area in a Santa Monica beach parking lot. 
• Strongly advocated for clear communications on ocean and beach water conditions and advisories and prompted revisions to press releases and the county’s website. 
• Built sand berms around impacted storm drains to contain sediment and allow time for Santa Monica leadership to confer with regional partners on testing and best practices.  
• Handpicked and mechanically removed thousands of pounds of fire-related debris from off Santa Monica’s beaches after storm events. These operations are ongoing.  
• Urged testing of local storm drains to ensure the most impacted area of city beaches was included in regional evaluations. 
• Hosted a virtual town hall with environmental health leaders, stressing local concerns for environmental conditions and beach-focused economic needs. 
• Shared information about a series of town halls hosted by Public Health. 
• Ensured environmental health resources are prominently posted on the city’s Palisades Fire website. 

What is the current status of wildfire debris removal in the Palisades Fire burn zone? 

The city of Santa Monica is encouraged that we are making progress on the recovery and reducing environmental risk.  

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has completed its Phase 1 hazardous materials cleanup process in the Palisades and Eaton Fire burn zones.  

Completion of this work ensures that unsecured hazardous materials have been removed from the burn zones and are being safely disposed of. This greatly reduces the potential for hazardous material run-off into the Santa Monica Bay during rain events. More information about protective measures taken by the EPA during Phase 1 can be found here. 

We anticipate that the staging sites at Will Rogers State Beach Parking Lot and at Topanga Canyon Boulevard will be decommissioned in the coming weeks.  

We are also pleased that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified a staging area for its Phase 2 non-hazardous debris removal that is away from the coastline. More information about debris removal processes can be found at recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal.   

What is the current status of beaches and ocean water quality? 

The public should continue to heed Public Health's most updated ocean water advisories available at publichealth.lacounty.gov/beach. Currently, a Rain Advisory is in effect for all Los Angeles County beaches until Saturday, March 8. In addition, an ocean water warning for the Santa Monica Pier and Pico-Kanter storm drain is in place. This is a non-fire related advisory based on elevated bacteria levels. When ocean water advisories are implemented, dry beach sand usually remains unaffected and open to the public for recreational activities. 

Beachgoers should continue to stay away from visible fire debris and local beach storm drains and stay out of ocean waters during any posted ocean advisory. Learn more about post-wildfire beach conditions at beaches.lacounty.gov/beach-health. 

What’s next? 

The city continues to advocate to and coordinate with environmental health experts at county agencies responsible for water testing and environmental health.  

The Los Angeles Water Quality Control Board has been conducting additional testing of coastal sand, wildfire sediment, ocean water and surface water. Public Health recently released a Post-Fire Assessment Plan and will post results of coastal sand, ocean water, and surface water testing as they become available. The city will pivot our operations and processes based on these results and the direction of public health leadership and communicate changes with the community.