As residents in Granada Hills and Porter Ranch grapple with a water outage that began on Tuesday, a water main break on Saturday sent thousands of gallons of water surging through a local street and into at least one home. The incident occurred near the intersection of Balboa and Sesnon Boulevards, as crews were working to restore service to over 9,200 customers affected by a failed water valve at a pump station.
Lucy Nazarian, a resident of Granada Hills, returned home to discover the aftermath of the deluge, which was captured on their malfunctioning security camera. "I've never seen something like that. I've seen it in movies, but not something that was you know experiencing seeing in my house in my backyard, so it was a scary moment for us," Nazarian told NBC Los Angeles. The damage included a dented fence, gutters, and a displaced tree branch. Fortunately, nobody was at home during the event, saving her grandchildren who frequently play in the yard from harm.
Following the break, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) advised residents to halt all tap water use to expedite repairs. According to LADWP, a temporary connection at the break site experienced a pressure spike leading to the separation. The connection was scheduled to be shut off later that evening. "We are very concerned that if people continue to use the water that is coming out of their faucets today, it is going to delay the ability of the DWP to get the line back and restored and for your use of water to be back to normal," Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement obtained by NBC Los Angeles.
Further exacerbating the situation, is the repair work's proximity to oil and gas lines, complicating the efforts to reach and mend the 20-foot underground pipe. Despite the setback caused by the water main break, LADWP officials told FOX 11 that there were no safety incidents or injuries to employees. LADWP has set up water distribution sites and other amenities for affected residents. "It’s a ‘bit of a setback,' but... we are deploying every resource to restore water in the area," an LADWP spokesperson told FOX 11.
For those without water, LADWP is providing bottled water, non-drinking recycled water, mobile laundry units, and portable toilets at multiple locations, with extended support available from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and a new site at the YMCA in Porter Ranch open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. LADWP's call center, 1-800-DIAL-DWP, is available for residents who require additional assistance, including the elderly, customers with disabilities, and those who cannot travel to distribution centers.
