The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said on Oct. 2, 2026, that it has begun refilling the Santa Ynez Drinking Water Reservoir following completion of a new floating cover and reinforced liner.

LADWP said the reservoir is filling at roughly 1.5 to 2 feet per day and is anticipated to be back in service by the end of the year. The department said the liner and floating cover were fully installed in September and that design and installation began earlier this year; both were required under the EPA’s Long‑Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, the department said.

LADWP presented this account as its operational update and said the work did not interrupt service to Pacific Palisades customers; those customers were served through the Upper Stone Canyon Reservoir and the Westgate Trunk Line while construction and refilling proceeded.

The department listed contingencies it has staged in case of a service disruption. They include deploying six miles of hose with booster pumps to move water between local tanks; keeping emergency pipe and fittings ready to reconnect the Westgate Trunk Line on Sunset Boulevard; positioning emergency generators to power critical water equipment; stationing water tankers in the community and at Stone Canyon Reservoir; increasing brush clearing around LADWP facilities to reduce fire risk; and ensuring aerial‑firefighting water sources such as the Santa Ynez heli‑hydrant and Palisades cistern remain available.

LADWP said the reservoir’s total physical capacity is 117 million gallons but warned that the reservoir operates inside an "operational band" with a maximum and minimum level for water quality and system pressure; the department noted that the operational band means the usable water at any time is only a fraction of the total capacity.

Readers who want the department’s materials and technical details can find them at LADWP.com/SantaYnezReservoirCover, the department said.

Sources & methodology

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Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

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