Reframing Water Use After the LA Fires

Watering Your Soil Isn’t Wasteful. It’s Regenerative!

In the aftermath of wildfire and drought, water becomes a symbol of both scarcity and possibility. For Altadena residents navigating recovery, the instinct to avoid a water bill for irrigating their property is understandable. But if you’ve already taken the powerful step of applying compost, seed and mulch to your land, it’s time to rethink what water conservation really means and the utility of water in restoring and detoxifying the land. Watering your soil, especially when it’s covered in living compost, isn’t wasteful. It’s essential.

Microorganisms in the Compost Need Water to Stay Alive and Function 

Compost isn’t just a protective layer, it’s a biological catalyst or home for microbes that make up the soil food web. Compost also brings carbon and organic matter back to fire-impacted soil. The organisms need moisture to survive, move, and metabolize. Without water, compost remains inert. With it, it becomes a living skin that rebuilds soil structure, supports plant recovery, and restores fertility.

Watering Helps Suppress Dust and Ash

After the fires, the Army Corps of Engineers drove water trucks through Altadena to suppress airborne particulates. That work continues and so it should on your property as well.  Weekly irrigation helps minimize dust and ash, especially during cleanup and construction. It’s a public health and mitigation measure as much as a land care strategy.

Surviving Plants Still Need Support

Even if your lawn is gone, your trees and shrubs may still be standing. They’re vulnerable, especially in our hot, dry summers and ongoing fire season.  Watering helps them stay hydrated, resist stress, and continue growing.  Healthy plants also shade the soil, reduce evaporation, and support microbial life.

Carbon-Rich Soil Conserves Water Long-Term

Compost adds carbon to the soil. But plants continue to sequester carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.  Carbon is then translocated below ground and into their roots and back again into their trunks, stems and branches.  This process helps filter and clean out airsheds reducing global warming. 

Carbon-rich soil holds water better, supports fertility, and reduces the amount of future irrigation. Studies report that with regular addition of compost to the land, irrigation can be reduced by up to 30%.  It’s a regenerative cycle: water sustains microbial life, microbes build soil and feed the plant roots, soil retains water, and plants sink carbon. The perfect symbiotic relationship!

Conservation Isn’t Just About Cutting Back, It’s About Wise Reallocation of Resources

Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth is great. But saving water indoors only matters if we’re willing to invest it outdoors where it heals ecosystems. Strategic irrigation isn’t indulgent, it’s intelligent.

Let’s reframe water conservation:

• Watering compost-covered soil is restorative

• Supporting trees is protective

• Hydrating microbes is regenerative and essential

Final Thought: Water Is a Tool for Healing

Altadena’s fire survivors are navigating grief, uncertainty, and resource constraints. But withholding water from compost-covered land is a missed opportunity. This isn’t about waste, it’s about regeneration.  If you’ve invested in compost, complete the cycle. Water it. Activate it. Let it work.

Your soil and your community will thank you.