Another water main break floods West Hollywood street, one week after massive pipe burst
It happened within two miles from the site of last week's larger water main break.
WEST HOLLYWOOD (KABC) -- Another water main break sent water rushing onto a street in West Hollywood Thursday morning, one week after another pipe burst nearby which left widespread damage in the neighborhood.
Water main break on Santa Monica Boulevard and Laurel Avenue
The latest incident happened on Santa Monica Boulevard and Laurel Avenue around 6 a.m. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said the break occurred on a 6-inch cast iron water pipe that was installed in 1921, making it 105 years old.
LADWP spokesperson Ellen Cheng said the break affected between 10 and 20 customers.
"It is a 6-inch pipe and 10 to 20 customers are affected, meaning they may not have water service at this time, and we're working to get their water back to them by about 4 o'clock," Cheng said.
AIR7 was over the scene where there was a significant amount of water percolating out from the ground and onto the sidewalk and street.
Jose Miramontes, a contractor who was working in the area, captured video of the rushing water, and said he's worried that these pipe problems might become more common.
"As soon as I arrived, I parked and noticed... the rushing river going down the street," he said. "I was like man is it going to keep happening all over West Hollywood or what? But hopefully not."
While there did not appear to be as much as damage as last week's break, street closures were expected to disrupt traffic in the area.
Water main break at Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive
Just two miles away from the previous scene, LADWP crews were working to repair a massive sinkhole at Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive that was left behind after millions of gallons of water burst from a 110-year-old trunk line.
LADWP said water began pooling on Sunset Boulevard on Wednesday night shortly after crews backfilled a large sinkhole and repaved the roadway. The agency said crews were forced to dig a new access hole to repair what officials described as a "pinhole leak."
"When we're doing work like this, other leaks can happen in the course of doing the work," Cheng said.
The two water main breaks are not related, according to LADWP.
Despite the recent incidents, DWP officials said Los Angeles experiences fewer water main breaks than many other cities.
"We have about two to four a day in the city of Los Angeles, and that is actually a 36% lower than national average when it comes to water main breaks," Cheng said.
The ongoing closure of Sunset Boulevard at Holloway Drive, now entering its second week, has frustrated some residents and businesses in the area.
"I was expecting it to be done by this weekend, but I think it looks like they got a lot of work to do still I don't know what's going on, but yeah, hopefully they can finish it up," a resident said.
