A high-pressurized water main burst in Hollywood Thursday night, blasting a geyser several stories into the air and affecting at least 30 water services. The break was reported near Hawthorn and Sycamore avenues around 5:15 p.m., sending crews scrambling to shut off the flow as water kept erupting into the sky.
According to NBC Los Angeles, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews were working on a 6-inch pipe on Hawthorn and an 8-inch pipe on Sycamore. The utility said at least 30 services were affected and that the water had since been turned off, though officials had not said when the repair work would be complete. CBS News Los Angeles described the break as high-pressurized, with the geyser breaking through the street pavement and into the air Thursday night.
A KTLA report placed the rupture in the 1600 block of North Sycamore Avenue, near Hollywood Boulevard. That outlet reported that a powerful torrent of water shot several stories into the air in Hollywood Thursday night after the suspected main break. LADWP told the station crews were working at 1665 N. Sycamore Ave., where officials believed a water main had broken, and that a valve at the location also needed repair.
No Timeline Yet for Full Repairs
The cause of the suspected break was not disclosed in the reporting. An estimated restoration time was unavailable Thursday night as crews continued working at the scene, the same account noted, leaving affected residents without a clear sense of when their water would return.
This is not the first time Hollywood has seen its streets give way to a ruptured pipe this fall. On Oct. 28, a separate water-main break opened a sinkhole near Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue, with water rushing through the streets, according to KTLA. Los Angeles City Fire said that sinkhole measured 20 feet by 20 feet near Chick-fil-A and that crews received the call at 7:30 a.m.; LADWP said that break involved an 8-inch water main and that crews remained on scene that afternoon assessing the damage.
An Aging Pipe Network Under Strain
Hollywood's pipe troubles aren't isolated. A massive break in a 110-year-old pipe also caused flooding in West Hollywood, as reported by ABC7 Los Angeles.
Los Angeles' water system experiences two to four pipe breaks a day.
The utility installed approximately 11,500 feet of pipe, and ABC7 reported that 6% of its distribution mainline pipes are classified as high priority for replacement. Reports differ on how LADWP's leak rate compares nationally: CBS Los Angeles reported the utility cited a rate below 17 leaks per 100 miles against a national average of 25, while ABC7 reported LADWP described its rate as 36% below the national average.
