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Resident urges city to press Cal Water and MWD on Palos Verdes Reservoir and wildfire readiness
Summary
At the May 28 council meeting, resident Michael Visco urged Rolling Hills to demand geotechnical reporting from Cal Water, hold a public hearing, and ask the Metropolitan Water District to restore the Palos Verdes Reservoir, arguing current storage and hydrant capacity may be insufficient for a major wildfire.
During public comment, resident Michael Visco asked the council to press Cal Water and the Metropolitan Water District for information on wildfire readiness and the status of the Palos Verdes Reservoir.
Visco recounted prior council presentations by Cal Water about a wildfire‑hardening and reliability project on Apolloso and Upper Blackwater and said Cal Water had said the project would be complete in spring 2025 and that a geotechnical report would be provided to the city. He asked whether the geotechnical report had been supplied, whether the project was complete, and whether the city had requested data showing how much the project improved fire‑flow capacity.
Visco said the Palos Verdes Reservoir — which he described as having roughly 360 million gallons of capacity and being out of service since March 2022 — should be addressed by letters to both Cal Water and MWD and that the city should require Cal Water representatives to attend a public hearing. He also cited a local article noting plans for a one‑million‑gallon tank in Palos Verdes Estates and quoted a Cal Water district manager’s letter stating the system could be short by about 6.7 million gallons for fire suppression and residential use.
Mayor Derringer and staff told Visco that staff will pass along any Cal Water reports they have and that staff had met with Cal Water to discuss rising water bills linked to leaks and to pursue credits. Council did not take formal action on the request but staff indicated they would provide any available materials and follow up with additional information.
Next steps: staff said they had begun conversations with Cal Water regarding bills and will provide any geotechnical or project documentation in their possession to interested residents; Visco requested a formal letter and a public hearing, which council may take up separately.
