Broken water main floods Topanga Canyon Boulevard

 

Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Canoga Park was shut down during the busy afternoon commute today after yet another broken water main flooded the street and sent dirty brown water pouring into nearby businesses.

The break — the fourth major gusher this week — occurred just before 3 p.m. in a 12-inch pipe under Topanga near Victory Boulevard.

Topanga is a major state highway connecting the 101 and 118 freeways, and some city officials predicted traffic chaos. Councilman Dennis P. Zine, who represents the area, said he wants the city Department of Water and Power to figure out what is going on beneath the streets — and fast.

Earlier this week, DWP officials said the city had been experiencing significantly more “major blowouts” in water pipes in the last three months. They said they don’t yet know why. In recent days, broken water mains have flooded portions of Studio City, created a sinkhole in Valley Village so big it almost swallowed a firetruck and flooded streets and damaged property around the city.

“Why is this happening?” Zine said. “We need to get answers.... Every day we hear of another one breaking.” The latest break cut water to about 50 customers, according to DWP officials.

It follows breaks earlier this week in the same area, including one on Corbin Avenue in Warner Center and another on Burbank Boulevard in Winnetka.

“It looks like a filthy, brown river,” said Shawn James, 43, who drove by the intersection about 3 p.m. and said he noticed water gushing out of a hole in the middle of the pavement.

—Jessica Garrison

Photo: Workers monitor a broken water main on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Canoga Park.

Credit: Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times

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Comments

[Tom Orlowski]

while this watering did take place on a Thursday, it clearly was during the hours of 9am-6pm. I hope the water police were called. Can DWP fine themselves?

[connie Lewis]

Increased population growth has expanded throughout southern California. That means that there is significantly more use of all the infrastructure, including the underground water systems. Contractors, developers are not required to supply any funds to assist with that issue and the government has certainly not determined that the infrastructure is a high priority item. Just look at CalTrans and the road systems that are barely functional. Instead, our government spends nearly a trillion dollars on wars in far away countries. Continually. We don't have the money to do both.

Personally, with the new White House administration, I thought my vote was against our engagement in overseas endless war and instead, we would spend the money for positive causes. Such as our infrastructure across the nation. Roads, waterways, energy improvements. Not too good, America.

[thealaskan]

usgs anyone?
shake me up.

[bob parden]

May have to reduce the pressure in the mains.

[hoyt adams]

didn't they have a batman move like this . oh i bet they will need a rate hike to cover this . come on LA they didn't bleed the trunk line when they turned it back on and its blowing the smaller lines

[Bobby Bee]

We live in a high seismic zone ... the ground moves ... and buried brittle conduits (like water mains) break. Where's the surprise?

[bditman]

Water breaks are kind of trendy to report now. We should remember that L.A.'s system of water pipes is due for upgrades and replacements, because it is old, and that is a complicated and expensive process. If you've ever spent any time with the crews and engineers who are now working on water main replacement projects, you would come away very impressed, and if you knew how much better the new cement encased pipelines and galvanic-ally neutralized valve systems are, you would be even more amazed.

[lisa]

URRgh! Perhaps the sudden, uneven distribution of water due to the "water shortage" rules imposed by the DWP is creating havoc below. Okay everybody turn on your sprinklers at once, now turn em all offf, repeat, repeat. Boom.

[Michael Taylor]

Doesn't take a rocket science to figure out that maybe the reduced water consumption of recent months has increased the overall pressure in the water mains and they are failing - Just Saying.

[JWegge]

Just an idea... but because of the drought (which is caused in part by the fact that increased population does not cause a corresponding increase in rain and snow pack) it has been decreed by L.A. City officials that LA residents (but not LA city whose grass and trees are more important) must limit their landscape watering (purportedly a significant, if not the most significant, use of water) to two eighteen hour periods a week... but the water delivery systems may not have been designed to have everyone (but the city whose lawns are more important) watering their lawns only on Mondays and Thursdays.

And if the LADWP gurus doubt compressing landscape watering into two eighteen hour periods a week could have any adverse impact on aging LA City water delivery systems during the summer, perhaps those experts should then be asked what would happen if the afternoon hosts at KFI640AM sponsored a city wide test some Monday or Thursday evening where every city resident turns on all their sprinkers at 6:00 p.m. and off at precisely 6:10 p.m. via a countdown broadcast live...

[Tony]

Yet another? These can no longer be assumed to be coincidences. This is additional proof of failed prior government, plain and simple. This comes at a time government is demanding citizens conserve water? Government has now shown they did little to consider what might happen if citizens has to deal with limited water. Now that we are, citizens are wondering what the heck they were doing all these years. Is it too late? Who's fault is it? Certainly, government played a big part in creating this mess.

[El Marco]

There was also a broken water main on Avenue 54 in Highland Park last week. Councilman Zine is right, something's up with the water pipes and DWP needs to figure out what's happening, and fast!

[DingTank]

Starting to look kind of fishy. Somebody is sabotaging these mains to get funding.

[Bob Teegarden]

Definitely not rocket science. These old water mains can not take the consistent pressure build up on Monday and Thursday's permitted watering times. Oh the bean counters at DWP & LA City that came up with the idea will deny that this could ever be the case. But come on, in 85 years nothing like this has EVER happened. Now "coincidently" dozens of water mains are bursting at precisely the same time mandatory sprinkler times are put into effect.
ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FITH GRADER!

[Greg]

Maybe the water inspectors are having troubles finding the pipes, at least if they are using any maps or directions supplied by writers for the Times. Corbin Avenue runs North/South about a mile and a half east of Warner Center, and Burbank Boulevard runs East/West about a mile and a half south of Winnetka.