Lack of water is hampering LA fire battle. Why not use ocean water to fight fires?
As multiple deadly wildfires burn across Los Angeles and hundreds of thousands of residents flee their homes, the lack of water is impeding firefighters' efforts to fight the flames.
More than 27,000 acres of Los Angeles County have been scorched since the flames started Tuesday morning. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom told CNN's Anderson Cooper Wednesday the fires had caused "complete and utter devastation."
"We've depleted all our resources," he said as fire hydrants across the region ran dry. "Those hydrants are typical for two or three fires, maybe one fire. And then you have something at this scale."
The department's three water tanks, which hold about a million gallons each, ran out Wednesday morning, Janisse Quiñones, chief engineer for the Los Angeles Fire Department of Water and Power told reporters at a press conference that day.
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"We're fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging," Quiñones said.
In response to a lack of water, firefighters were seen Wednesday scooping water from the Pacific Ocean in a firefighting plane, according to KTLA 5 News.
Is it really that simple to use ocean water to fight the blaze? Here's why using the seemingly obvious solution of neighboring ocean water isn't as clear an option.
Why can't you use ocean water to put out fires?
Unfortunately, it's not that easy.
While salt water can be effective when tackling a fire, it's not practical for firefighters to use it routinely or systemwide, and it can be environmentally damaging.
According to Technology.org, salt water can be corrosive to firefighting equipment and cause damage to tools, such as tanks, hydrants and hoses.
Additionally, the high salt content of the water is also potentially damaging to the ecosystems where it is used to put out fires, often causing a barren landscape in those areas for years afterward.
To use salt water as effectively as hydrant water, it needs to be desalinated, a controversial proposition in the American West that some environmentalists consider inefficient, expensive and unnecessary as many fought for a systemic implementation to combat droughts and wildfires.