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Los Angeles regional board describes post-wildfire water and sediment testing and debris‑disposal safeguards
Summary
The Los Angeles Regional Water Board reported on coordinated sampling of ocean water, sediments and storm drains after January 2025 wildfires, enrollment of three landfills in the statewide disaster-waste order, and ongoing monitoring commitments to protect beaches and public health.
The Los Angeles Regional Water Board described post‑wildfire sampling, debris‑disposal rules and interagency coordination used after the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton wildfires, emphasizing protective landfill practices and an ongoing testing program for ocean water and beach sediments.
Regional staff said they joined the State Water Board’s Emergency Management Program at the Cal OES incident command structure and participated on a watershed debris‑flow task force to deploy best management practices ahead of damaging winter storms. The board organized beach, storm drain and sediment sampling across a broad coastal stretch (from Zuma Beach toward Torrance) and compared results to EPA screening levels and the Ocean Plan. Metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected in water and sediment samples but, in initial rounds, were generally below recreational risk screening levels; a small number of arsenic and PAH exceedances were consistent with expected background concentrations, staff said.
The board described a two‑phase debris‑removal sequence under the federal response: Phase 1 hazardous‑material removal by EPA, then Phase 2 asbestos and structural material removal led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. LA staff said they enrolled three local landfills in the statewide disaster‑waste order to ensure disposal only in lined landfill cells with leachate collection systems and required stormwater BMPs during debris placement. The region also directed some landfills to monitor voluntarily for hexavalent chromium as an extra precaution, staff said.
Regional staff credited intensive coordination with the State Water Board Emergency Management Program, CalEPA, the Division of Water Quality, local public‑health agencies, SCWRI and others for enabling rapid monitoring, contract support and public communications. The board said it will continue a second round of beach sediment and sand sampling ahead of Memorial Day weekend and will publish results as they are validated.
The regional office urged residents to rely on posted health advisories and thanked staff from multiple regional boards, State Water Board emergency management, communications and lab contracts teams for rapid support. Officials stressed that long‑term monitoring and public communication will continue while cleanup, monitoring and landfill disposal operations proceed.
