A century-old water main installed in 1916, when Woodrow Wilson was serving as president, was left badly ruptured after an early-morning pipe burst sent water flooding through West Hollywood, according to a newly released photo.
The image, shared Friday morning by Mayor Karen Bass, shows crews examining the corroded 36-inch metal pipe. A gaping hole is visible in the line, along with a crushed section of metal hanging from the damaged area.
Repair crews have been working nonstop on the 1916 pipeline. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said workers removed nearly 200,000 gallons of water “to begin the complex work” of taking out a 25-foot stretch of damaged pipe.
The aging pipeline is slated for a full replacement, though construction is not scheduled to start until 2031. The planned replacement line will run 10 miles. LADWP also said its leak rate is 36% below the national average.
Some West Hollywood residents will receive water through an 8-inch backup line while repairs are underway. Officials are asking those customers to conserve water until the damaged main can be fixed. No completion timeline has been announced.
Sections of Sunset Boulevard remained shut down Friday, and damaged sidewalks were still off-limits. The water main break also forced Metro buses to adjust their routes. Residents were urged to stay away from the area.
The West Hollywood Sheriff’s Office told The California Post on Thursday morning that a “major water main break” had occurred near Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive.
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The flooding damaged nearby businesses, pushed cars into one another and opened a sinkhole that two men fell into. Both men appeared to be unharmed.
Police said they did not know how the main break came about and were just doing traffic control in the area. They were inundated with calls about the floods.
Video from the area shows heavy flood water rushing down the streets of West Hollywood and around cars. Some eyewitnesses in the area reported that first-floor apartments and underground garages were flooded. Several cars also appeared to be trapped.
The floods damaged the popular Dialog Cafe, and footage from the establishment showed the shocking moments when the flooding began.
A West Hollywood resident victimized by the flooding told The California Post that there was little he could do when water began flooding into his apartment. “There was no stopping it. There was nothing we could do,” he said.
West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman said at a press conference that “all of our residents, to our knowledge, are safe.”
“Obviously a lot of people are still in a state of shock,” he told The California Post. “They have had water damage to their sub-garages. Their cars have been significantly damaged. We also have a couple of units that have been impacted. Right now, people are just trying to assess the damage, get people out to help them with the repairs and the remediation.”
Residents have blamed aging infrastructure for the unfortunate flood.
