Fighting to Survive, an Altadena Water Company Is Charging a New 'Fire Recovery Fee'

Fighting to survive, an Altadena water company is charging a new 'fire recovery fee'

Small water companies in Altadena are struggling financially after the Eaton fire and are starting to charge customers more. One of the utilities is trying to stave off insolvency.

Fighting to survive, an Altadena water company is charging a new ‘fire recovery fee’

When the Eaton fire raged through neighborhoods in Altadena, the flames leveled three-quarters of the homes served by the tiny Las Flores Water Co. It also destroyed the roofs of two covered reservoirs where the utility stored drinking water. The company soon restored clean water to those homes left standing. But the disaster has left it with costly repairs, and a sharp drop in income since most of its 1,500 customers haven’t yet rebuilt or reco…