LOS ANGELES, CA – A water main break flooded streets and left 22 customers without water Monday morning in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
The break was first reported around 6 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, in the 6200 block of Corbin Avenue. Water rushed down the street, and a closure was put in place at Topham Street.
LADWP said a break in an 8-inch water main caused the flooding. A department spokesperson said two hydrants were involved in the incident.
The spokesperson also said 22 customers were affected by the outage and that service should be restored by around 6 p.m. Monday.
Water runs down Corbin Avenue
Water was still rushing down Corbin Avenue at about 7 a.m., roughly an hour after the first report, according to initial reports. The flow spread across the roadway and onto neighboring sidewalks.
Water was seen percolating up through the street, which flooded both sidewalks and roadway in the area. The 6200 block of Corbin Avenue lies in the western San Fernando Valley, within the Woodland Hills community of the city of Los Angeles.
Closure at Topham Street
The closure at Topham Street was put in place as water continued to flow down Corbin Avenue. Traffic had to find a way around the affected area while the street remained flooded.
Drivers had trouble getting through the flooded roads near Topham Street, according to initial reports. The reports available Monday did not agree on every cross street where water had pooled, but they agreed that the flooding was on Corbin Avenue.
LADWP identifies 8-inch main
The department attributed the flooding to a break in an 8-inch water main. A water main is one of the pipes in the distribution system that carries water under city streets to the customers connected to it, and LADWP counts such pipes among its mainlines.
The spokesperson said two hydrants were involved. The department did not describe in the information released Monday how the hydrants figured in the break or in the response.
LADWP publishes a fact sheet on trunk lines, mainlines and leaks in its water system for readers who want background on how the department describes its pipes.
22 customers lose water service
The spokesperson said 22 customers lost water because of the break. LADWP did not say in the information it released Monday which addresses were affected.
The department said service should be restored by around 6 p.m. Monday, roughly 12 hours after the first report. That estimate came from a spokesperson speaking to reporters.
Mainline replacement work in the West Valley
LADWP’s Water System Capital Improvement Program is a ten-year plan focused on maintaining or replacing existing components of the water system, according to the department’s Water Projects page. The page says many facilities pre-date World War II and are near the end of their useful lives. It also lists mainline replacement projects across Los Angeles.
The department’s website also includes a page for the Corbin Avenue Mainline Replacement Project among its West Valley construction projects. There is no indication in the available information that the project is connected to Monday’s break.
Repairs continued through Monday evening
The break occurred in Council District 3, which is represented by Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield. LADWP is the agency responsible for the water system and for the repair.
LADWP had not said what caused the 8-inch main to fail. Its estimate of around 6 p.m. Monday for restoring service to the 22 affected customers remained the most recent timeline the department had given.
