The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has agreed to inspect and clean dozens of its drinking water reservoirs and storage tanks to avoid litigation from EPA, the two agencies announced on Thursday.
What happened: LADWP and EPA entered a legally binding agreement, called an administrative order on consent, last week to address Safe Drinking Water Act violations found by EPA inspectors last year. The 2024 inspection found maintenance issues, like unprotected openings, that could pose a risk to contamination.
“Public water systems must properly maintain their infrastructure to ensure that the water flowing out of their customers’ taps continues to be safe,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division Director Amy Miller in a press release.
LADWP pointed out that “extensive water quality data shows that the drinking water LADWP serves to customers has met, and continues to meet, all federal and state drinking water standards” in a statement about the agreement.
