Agenda - City of Santa Monica

concrete tank. Should the tank fail it could result in surface land erosion and possible
damage to residences down slope to the south and west.
San Vicente Reservoir is a 5.0 million gallon concrete, completely buried tank situated
under the median of San Vicente Boulevard between 23 rd Street and 25 th Street in
Santa Monica. The surrounding land use is principally single family residential. A
failure of this reservoir would not result in significant surface disruption or flooding as
the reservoir is buried below grade. Water released from a tank failure would seep into
the adjoining soil structure; should it ultimately find its way to the street level, the slope
of the streets would carry water in a westerly direction toward existing storm water catch
basins.
Riviera Reservoir is the largest of the city’s water storage reservoirs. With a storage
capacity of 25 million gallons, it is located underneath the tennis courts at Riviera
Country Club in Pacific Palisades. It is rectangular in shape, with compacted fill on the
north and west side of the structure. A tank wall failure on the north and/or west side of
the structure will result in water seeping into the adjoining soil structure and potential
soil erosion and possible damage to structures and homes adjacent to the area. Failure
in the east side would release significant amounts of water, jeopardizing homes and golf
course structures on that side. Failure on the south side would similarly release a
significant amount of water and flood the golf course, ultimately being channeled
through Santa Monica Creek to the Pacific Ocean.
Electrical Power
Major power plants are expected to sustain some damage due to liquefaction and the
intensity of the earthquake. During the Northridge earthquake power was restored
within 24 hours in most areas of Santa Monica. Up to 60% of the system load may be
interrupted immediately following the initial shock. According to representatives of
Southern California Edison Company, the electrical power will not be rerouted and will
be lost for an undefined period of time. Much of the imported power is expected to be
lost. In some areas of greatest shaking it should be anticipated that some of the
distribution lines, both underground and surface, will be damaged. Much of the affected
area may have service restored in days; damaged areas with underground distribution
may require a longer time. Loss of Southern California Edison transmission lines is
possible.
Fire Operations
Although total collapse of fire stations is not expected, possible disruption of utilities,
inoperable apparatus doors and loss of power can create major problems. Numerous
fires due to disruption of power and natural gas networks can be expected. Many
connections to major water sources may be out and storage facilities would have to be
relied on; water supply could vary from little or none to inadequate. First response from
fire personnel is expected to be assessment of the area to establish what is needed to
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