Can California use ocean salt water to put out fires? Here are three key factors for L.A. firefighters
As the Palisades and Eaton fires continue to scorch Southern California, helpless spectators are raising questions about whether there are better ways to tame the flames. While some fire hydrants in Los Angeles ran dry amid the extreme wildfires, people wondered if firefighters could use salt water from the ocean instead of depleting fresh water sources.
The short answer is yes, they can — but it's more complicated than simply going to the beach to transport water to the hillsides of L.A.
Here are a few key factors to know about how seawater is being used for firefighting — and some of its limitations:
Salt water's accessibility
With over 60 aircraft, California has the largest civilian aviation fleet for firefighting in the world, according to Cal Fire. However, only a few of them are capable of scooping up water from the Pacific Ocean.
So-called "Super Scooper" CL-415 aircraft were spotted doing so last week to help slow the spread the Palisades Fire while firefighters on the ground work to contain the blaze.
These $25 million water-bombing aircraft are capable of hauling 14,000 pounds of water, according to aviation management software company WinAir. Unfortunately, one of the two planes had to be taken out of service temporarily after it was damaged by an unauthorized drone.
Strong Santa Ana winds also play a major role in why Super Scoopers and other firefighting aircraft are not always able fly on missions to drop water and fire retardants.
"Turbulence created over a fire is already incredible, and when you couple that with life-threatening destructive wind events, it makes flying nearly impossible," a Cal Fire spokesperson said in a video explainer. "When winds are above 30 mph, fire retardant and water only end up a mist instead of a steady rain."
Salt water is corrosive
Some of the firefighting aircraft are only built to carry and disperse fire retardants, not water. And for those that carry water, salt water isn't often used because its salinity can damage equipment.
Salt water would create similar issues for other firefighting systems. Fire hydrants and many other firefighting tools are made of metal, which is susceptible to rust when exposed to oxygen and water. Experts explain that salt speeds up that corrosion process because it acts as an electrolyte that allows iron to lose electrons more easily.
Salt water's long-term effect
One more reason seawater is a last resort in fighting fires is because of its effect on the environment, according to experts.
The long-term effect of seawater on trees and soil is yet to be fully understood, said Patrick Megonigal, an ecosystem ecologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Megonigal, who has studied how historically salt-free coastal forests react to saltwater exposures, wrote in an article for The Conversation that dry conditions in Southern California may allow salt to linger in the soil, which some trees may not be able to tolerate.
"Our lab experiments suggest that salt was causing clay and other particles to disperse and move about in the soil. Such changes in soil chemistry and structure can persist for many years," he wrote.
Does Los Angeles have enough water for fighting fires?
With ocean water not being the best option to fight ongoing fires, the question remains whether there's enough water to battle the flames.
Rep. Judy Chu, a Democrat who represents areas devastated by the L.A. wildfires, said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that fire agencies have assured her there is "enough water" to continue fighting fires amid concerns over water pressure in the area.
She said that when the fires first started, fanned by "drastic winds," fire departments were overwhelmed.
"This is not an ordinary incident, and many fire hydrants were going on at the same time, and also the electricity used to pump the water had been turned off so that there would not spark anymore fire," Chu said. "So that happened at that point, but I believe that we're in a good place right now."
