Assemblymember Steve Bennett, D-Ventura, proposed legislation last week to require local districts to better prepare and protect water supplies for wildfires.

The bill, introduced on Thursday, calls for Ventura County water districts in high fire risk areas to top off tanks during fire weather, provide reliable backup power for pumps and make sure areas around those tanks and pumps are hardened against flames.

"After every one of these fires, one of the big questions citizens ask is why didn't the fire hydrants operate," Bennett said.

Hydrants cannot deliver all the water needed during a wildfire when dozens are opened at the same time, but efforts should be made to keep them operating as long as possible, he said.

"We will continue to have wildfires," he said. "The question is, can we decrease the losses when those wildfires sweep into a neighborhood?"

The issue is one Bennett experienced firsthand when the Thomas Fire erupted in Ventura County in December 2017, he said. Two died in the blaze that destroyed more than 700 local homes, most in the city of Ventura. The fire leveled house after house in the city's Ondulando neighborhood where Bennett says some hydrants quickly lost pressure or ran dry.

Recent destructive fires left people asking for some standardization for water agencies' emergency preparedness, he said.

"In these high fire risk areas, we need to have the fire departments know that these tanks are being filled, that there's backup power," he said.

Questions about water supplies came up during the Mountain Fire that destroyed some 243 structures in Camarillo and Somis late last year, and more recently, during the deadly Los Angeles fires that burned thousands more.

In a wildfire, experts say hundreds of fire engines may be hooked up to the same system, and pulling that much water can trigger a drop in pressure or flows.

Most water systems aren't built for multiple hours of sustained firefighting, said Patrick Maynard, director of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services. Those conditions pull large volumes of water from municipal systems.

In some cases, water goes out faster than it can be pumped into tanks. Without power, systems may be unable to pump water at all.

If passed, the proposed legislation would at least initially apply to districts in Ventura County's high and very high fire risk areas. Those boundaries are mapped by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Along with topping off tanks and requiring backup power, the bill also would require facilities to be hardened to help protect them from fire damage. After a destructive blaze, the fire department also would issue a report on how the water system operated.

Requirements may later be taken statewide, said Bennett, whose district stretches across much of the western portions of the county. Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, co-authored the bill and represents part of eastern Ventura County.

Maynard described requirements in the bill as needed, particularly since utility companies started shutting off power to prevent electrical equipment from sparking fires. OES has worked with water agencies for several years, urging officials to harden critical facilities with backup power and ensuring tanks are filled, he said.

"The thought process is let's do everything we can to be as most prepared as we can," Maynard said.

Whether the bill's provisions would have prevented past water supply issues is difficult to say, officials said.

"I think with these extreme wildfires in residential areas, to some extent, there's no amount of preparation that can prevent destruction and devastation," said Ian Prichard, deputy general manager at the Calleguas Municipal Water District.

The Thousand Oaks-based wholesaler wouldn't be subject to the bill since it does not directly provide water to neighborhoods. Calleguas supplies imported water to purveyors from Simi Valley to Oxnard.

Prichard described topping off tanks during critical fire weather as industry practice. But portable generators can be expensive and permanent ones may be cost-prohibitive, particularly for smaller districts, he said.

Bennett plans to propose another bill to allow water districts to apply for funds from the state's climate bond to meet the requirements.

He sent questionnaires to city managers and water districts throughout the county, efforts that helped shaped the proposal, he said. He expects language will continue to be tweaked based on feedback, he said. Expanding statewide will be part of a bigger conversation to get input from water districts throughout California, he said.

In Ventura, Assistant City Manager Carlene Saxton said Friday that officials are committed to protecting water resources.

"The city of Ventura has seen firsthand the importance of wildfire preparedness from the Thomas Fire," she said, in a statement. "As we review Assemblymember Bennett's efforts to strengthen wildfire readiness, we're encouraged that Ventura Water has already implemented initial key measures."

Bennett plans to hold a wildfire preparedness town hall along with county Supervisor Matt LaVere on March 13 at the Ventura County Government Center. The meeting is expected to start at 6:30 p.m.

Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at [email protected] or 805-437-0260.