Water gushed through the streets of the Beverly Grove neighborhood Sunday morning after a water main ruptured, prompting authorities to shut off service for repairs.
The incident occurred near the intersection of San Vicente Boulevard and Lyndenhurst Avenue, adding to a string of recent water infrastructure failures across the city.
Footage from the scene showed water flowing across the roadway and into storm drains. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) crews were dispatched to the area shortly after the flooding was reported around 4:48 a.m.
A spokesperson for LADWP, Leah McKenzie, stated that the affected pipe was an 8-inch cast iron main and that 10 services were impacted. As of 2:10 p.m. Sunday, crews remained on-site working on repairs.
San Vicente Boulevard was closed between Lindenhurst Avenue and Orlando Avenue, with an estimated restoration time of 2:30 p.m. for service. The cause of the break is currently under investigation. No injuries were reported.
A nearby resident who discovered the flooding while taking out trash expressed concern about potential impacts on vehicles if storm drains became clogged.
This rupture follows several other significant water infrastructure failures in Los Angeles in recent weeks. On July 16, a major water main break in West Hollywood released an estimated 17 million gallons of water, causing damage to businesses and homes and opening a large sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard. LADWP crews also addressed a smaller break in West Hollywood days later and another in Jefferson Park the previous weekend.
According to LADWP, the utility experiences between two and four water main breaks daily, though its systemwide leak rate is reported to be lower than the national average. The utility also noted that it has tripled its mainline replacement rate over the past 20 years.