Can the citizens of Los Angeles have confidence that the DWP is ready for another hot summer?

In 1994, the Northridge earthquake severely damaged the electrical and water infrastructure in Los Angeles. Despite the damage, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power workers swiftly restored safe drinking water and reliable power to the millions of Los Angeles residents who depend on them. The DWP won kudos from everyone for its swift and effective response of DWP workers to the disaster.

Can Los Angeles have the same confidence in the DWP today? Sadly, the answer has to be no. For over a decade, DWP management has been reducing critical staff positions and neglecting routine maintenance. This has left DWP workers frustrated and angry. They are forced to work overtime to make up for staff shortages and then blamed because there is so much overtime. They are forced to use “band-aid” fixes on a system that badly needs real updating and repair. They know that the failure of management at the DWP to address longstanding problems means that the DWP is not ready for another heat wave, like the one that happened in 2006, let alone a major natural disaster or terrorist attack.

Despite the emphasis that the DWP has been putting on the power side of the equation, the situation with the water system is equally problematic. The same longstanding problems of understaffing and lack of basic maintenance has placed the reliability and safety of the water supply at risk. This is made worse by continuing drought conditions and an expanding population. The first signs of trouble are “boil water orders” and water main breaks.

The top management of DWP remains in a state of denial over this crisis. Instead of taking steps to hire and train new workers and upgrade the water and power systems, the DWP is issuing rosy press releases and calling last year’s heat wave an “anomaly.” Below is an analysis of the DWP’s June press release reassuring ratepayers that they were ready for another hot summer.

“As the first day of summer approaches and with temperatures expected to soar through the weekend, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) officials today reported on significant steps that have been taken to strengthen the electric system and improve summer readiness since the record-breaking heat storm last July.”

-DWP Press Release June 20, 2007

In fact, the DWP has undertaken no major steps to improve either the power system or to hire and train badly needed crews to do the maintenance and repair of the system. The power and water distribution system still depends on equipment that is 30 to 40 years past its life expectancy. The DWP reduced its work force from 11,500 in 1994 to a little over 8,000 today. Although 750 additional positions were approved in the budget, the DWP hasn’t even started the hiring process. It takes two to three years to recruit and train the necessary skilled workforce, and the 750 positions is still far short of the 1500 that are needed.

“We are much better prepared heading into this summer than we were last year. Our electric infrastructure has been thoroughly studied and we have replaced or upgraded all residential transformers that experienced any type of issue during the past year,” LADWP General Manager Ronald F. Deaton said.

-DWP Press Release June 20, 2007

Once again, this statement is misleading at best. First, the DWP has done away with the common practice of random load testing of the system and replaced it with theoretical computer models, so it has no idea how reliable the system is or where the trouble spots may be. Second, there is a current backlog of 104 problem transformers from last summer, and that number is increasing by two to three new problem transformers a day.

In a presentation today to the City Council Energy and Environment Committee, Deaton described a series of immediate actions that were taken following the record-setting July 2006 Heat Storm, along with electric system repairs, upgrades and preparations made during the past year. In addition, he outlined a long-term Power Reliability Program that provides a blueprint for ensuring continued reliable energy service for future generations of Los Angeles residents.

-DWP Press Release June 20, 2007

If the DWP has a long-term plan, it is a well-kept secret. The fact is that they have not spent the money that is already budgeted for hiring new personnel and making much needed repairs and upgrades. Further, they do not have a good track record for delivering on the promises they have made to improve the system. For instance, they announced that they were building a new power distribution station in the West Valley five years ago. They have yet to begin construction., despite the fact that the West Valley has a critical need for such a station.

Among the short-term repairs and prevention measures since the heat storm, LADWP has replaced or upgraded 3,000 distribution transformers, and repaired over 360 temporary and open circuits. In addition, LADWP has reviewed the condition and load factor associated with every residential transformer that has had any type of problem during the past year. In many cases, additional or higher capacity transformers were installed to better handle overloads.

-DWP Press Release June 20, 2007

There are two problems with this statement. First, transformers are just the tip of the iceberg. The much larger problem is the fact that the distribution system that provides power to the transformers is antiquated and hasn’t been properly maintained. Replacing transformers only plugs a small hole in a crumbling dam. Secondly, replacing transformers and repairing the distribution system requires double the amount of trained crews employed by the DWP . The DWP’s failure to face reality today and plan for the future tomorrow by hiring and training new staff is at the root of many problems.

Nearly 80,000 LADWP customers, about 5.7 percent of the City’s 1.4 million electric customers, lost power in the July 2006 Heat Storm. Of those, over 90% were restored within 24 hours, while 555 customers experienced outages lasting longer than 72 hours. The second hottest in national history, the heat storm set six new record peak loads within seven days including a new peak load of 6165 megawatts on July 24, 2006.

-DWP Press Release June 20, 2007

The people in charge at the DWP continue to minimize the chance of a repeat of last summer’s heat wave. One called it an “anomaly” in a city council hearing. The truth is that, according to NASA climate expert Dr. Bill Patzert the combination of global warming and population growth means that we will continue to see increasing temperatures and heat waves like we saw in the summer of 2006. It is especially disturbing that the DWP is gambling that 2006 was a one-time event and not taking a realistic view of the demands on our power system.

The irony is that the DWP generates plenty of electricity to satisfy the demand. In fact, they had a surplus of energy during last summer’s crisis. The problem is that the DWP has not properly maintained the distribution system and staffed at a level to guarantee that it can reliably deliver power to the customers despite the load.