The L.A. Pools Study:
What was in the water after the January 2025 wildfires?
August 18, 2025 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm PST
Join us and learn about the lessons learned from the 2025 Los Angeles (L.A.) Fires Pool Study in response to the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire in California. This is the first study of its kind. Thousands of swimming pools were in the fire impacted areas.
The webinar featured field investigation and water testing results from a multi-university rapid response team. The team was funded by the R&S Kayne Foundation as part of the Community Action Project Los Angeles (CAP-LA) effort. Additional financial support was provided from the teams' institutions. The event included brief presentations, panel discussion, followed by a question-and-answer session.
The webinar explained study discoveries and lessons learned. In partnership property owners, swimming pools were visited, inspected, and sampled. The team, led by Purdue University Professor Caitlin Proctor, shared the study justification, the methods applied, field and laboratory results, and protective actions.
Opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this material are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding organizations. Work is also ongoing.
Speakers
- Caitlin Proctor, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering, Purdue University
- Andrew J. Whelton, Ph.D., Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering and Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering, and Center for Plumbing Safety, Purdue University
- Mónica Palomo, Ph.D., P.E., Professor of Civil Engineering, Cal Poly Pomona
- Sanjay Mohanty, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Los Angeles
- Kristofer Isaacson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (formerly with the University of Southern California)
Contact Details
Andrew Whelton, awhelton@purdue.edu
Caitlin Proctor, proctoc@purdue.edu; LAPoolStudy@gmail.com
Video recording posted here. PDF presentation file posted here.