Sunset Flood Exposes LA’s Century-Old Water Backbone
TL;DR Summary
A ruptured 36-inch water main under Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood released 17 million gallons, flooding streets; the pipe was 110 years old, illustrating Los Angeles’ aging water system. LADWP oversees about 6,800 miles of small mains and 570 miles of large trunk lines, with roughly 30% of mains aged 80+ years. The city is replacing about 45 miles of pipe annually, a pace critics say needs acceleration, which would require more workers and higher rates. Engineers note that age isn’t the only factor in failures, pointing to soil, water tables, and maintenance as drivers of reliability.
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