A water main that was laid the same year Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States was decimated in the early morning pipe burst in West Hollywood, as seen in a new photo.
The photo, shared by Mayor Karen Bass Friday morning, showed workers inspecting the rusted 36-inch metal pipe, with a large hole and crumpled section of metal hanging from it.
Crews have been working on the pipe — constructed in 1916 — around the clock, and have removed nearly 200,000 gallons of water “to begin the complex work” of removing a 25-foot section of damaged pipe, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said.
The pipeline will eventually be replaced entirely, but construction is not set to begin until 2031. The new pipeline will span 10 miles. The agency said its leak rate is 36% lower than the national average.
Certain West Hollywood residents will receive their water through an 8-inch backup water line, and they are asked to conserve water until repairs can be made. No timeline has been given for completion of the repairs.
Parts of Sunset Boulevard remained closed Friday, and damaged sidewalks remained inaccessible. The water leak also forced Metro buses to relocate their route. Residents are advised to avoid the area.
A “major water main break” occurred in the area of Sunset Blvd and Holloway Dr, the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Office told The California Post Thursday morning.
The break caused property damage to businesses, smashed cars together, and even caused two men to fall into a sinkhole created by the flooding. The two men appeared to be fine.
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.
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