WEST HOLLYWOOD (CNS) – Department of Water and Power crews made “significant progress” overnight in replacing the broken section of a 110- year-old water pipe that sent roughly 17 million gallons of water into the streets in West Hollywood, officials said Saturday.
The new section of pipe arrived Friday morning and officials said the temporary repair could be complete by the end of the weekend, allowing for the re-opening of Sunset Boulevard and surrounding streets.
Friday and Saturday, workers cut and removed a 25-foot-long piece of the ruptured pipe and set the replacement segment into place. Welders worked overnight and completed putting in the new 3-foot diameter steel pipe.
“Now that the replacement pipe is safely in place, the pipe will be repressurized, checked for leaks, disinfected with chlorine and tested to ensure regulatory compliance,” the DWP said in an update at about 11 a.m. Saturday. “Water will then be dechlorinated and discharged to the storm drain system, and the pipe will be refilled prior to backfilling and street paving. As the pipe is in West Hollywood, the street will meet the city of West Hollywood’s specific street standards and material requirements.”
The utility said customers in the area continue to have reliable drinking water, but are being asked to continue conservation practices because the area is receiving water through an 8-inch pipe.
“If there is high demand, the water may not be able to make it to residents in higher floors, especially,” the DWP said.
A stretch of Sunset Boulevard remains closed to traffic, with the closure area reduced to the section between Sherbourne Drive and San Vicente Boulevard along with limited access on nearby street, including at Cynthia and San Vicente. The public is asked to avoid the area for now.
The DWP is working with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Los Angeles County Public Works and other utilities to protect underground infrastructure during the repairs.
A section of the circa-1916 water main broke open at 3 a.m. Thursday on Sunset Boulevard at Holloway Drive, pushing around cars and flooding garages while shifting massive chunks of asphalt and concrete slab. A number of vehicles were visibly damaged and others were flooded nearly to their roofs in subterranean parking.
Witness video also showed a wayward Waymo autonomous car driving into a stretch of damaged, flooded road before firefighters disabled, then moved the vehicle.
A man was seen inspecting his model Jeep, which had a massive chunk of sidewalk wedged beneath it and a Tesla pushed against its front on Palm Avenue.
Another man who lives on the street said he worked late and arrived home to find a cataclysm.
“It was a river,” said Tehran Von Ghasri. “I thought it was a catastrophe. I thought it must have been an earthquake. Maybe a hydrant broke; maybe all the hydrants broke.”
His home and electric Hummer were fine, Von Ghasri said.
Some businesses and at least one residence had water and debris pushed onto their premises.
Live television broadcasts and video showed water roaring downhill from Sunset at Holloway to Santa Monica Boulevard and into a bus yard near San Vicente Boulevard.
Metro spokesman Jose Ubaldo said the Caltrans bus depot was flooded but none of the buses were damaged as most were already making runs and the water did not rise high enough to affect the vehicles.
“We were just unable to get them in and out (of the yard),” he said.
“This is a big break,” Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Aaron Katon told City News Service. “We have a lot of old pipes in this area. But a break this big is exceedingly rare.”
By 7 a.m., the rushing water, which pushed around parked cars and sent debris all the way to Santa Monica Boulevard, had been stopped.
Katon said the first priority was ensuring everyone was safe, with first responders going door to door in the affected area. The next priority, he said, was protecting property, pumping out water and helping businesses reopen.
The normally bustling Sunset Strip remained largely deserted the next day as the closures kept customers away and businesses shuttered. Some establishments remained open with refreshments for first responders.
One of the affected businesses was the Dialog Cafe at the corner of Palm Avenue and Holloway Drive, just downhill from the rupture and not far from a second smaller sinkhole in the sidewalk on Palm that two men fell into Thursday — but were not seriously injured.
The eatery, known for its breakfast burritos and wraps, has announced plans to close indefinitely due to water damage caused by the rupture, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“All that water that came out of that line immediately went right in my front door, and it continued for four or five hours,” owner Tadeh Ghazalian told The Times. “Just imagine thousands of pounds of water going inside. At one point, you couldn’t even see the floor. It looked like a pool.”
The rupture also resulted in the route for Sunday’s planned CicLAvia closed-streets event to be shortened through West Hollywood as it connects to nearby Hollywood and East Hollywood. The free event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Organizers said the western end of the 6.1-mile route has been shifted to North La Cienega Boulevard at Santa Monica Boulevard because of impacts from the water main break. The route will continue east through Hollywood to North La Brea Avenue.
As is typical for CicLAvia festivals, officials said streets along the revised route will be closed to vehicle traffic during the event, which is expected to draw thousands of cyclists, pedestrians, skaters and other participants.
Meanwhile, DWP specialists remained on site assisting affected residents. Customers with questions may call 1-800-DIAL-DWP. Claims information is available at LADWP.com/Claims.
The city of West Hollywood has also launched a website with regularly updated information about the response and recovery effort. The site, weho.org/watermainbreak, includes repair updates, street closures, traffic information, Metro detours, parking enforcement changes, claims information, hotel discounts for affected residents and other resources.
According to the DWP, the 10-mile Sunset Trunk Line that ruptured had already been designated for replacement. The department said design work is underway on a project to replace nearly 6.4 miles of large-diameter pipeline and 3.5 miles of distribution pipe, with construction expected to begin in 2031.
The utility said it replaced more than 246,000 feet of water pipeline during 2024 and 2025 and is on track to replace another 246,000 feet this year. The department also said its leak rate is 36% below the national average, averaging 16.1 leaks per 100 miles of pipe compared with 25 leaks per 100 miles nationwide.
The specific cause of Thursday’s break was under investigation, but Anselmo G. Collins, the DWP’s chief operating officer and senior assistant general manager of the water system, said pressure in water delivery lines is highest at night when demand drops.
In May, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass unveiled Los Angeles’ first Capital Infrastructure Program, an effort intended to guide long-term planning for projects such as street resurfacing, sidewalk repairs and curb ramp improvements, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The absence of a formal plan has contributed to deferred maintenance and chronic funding shortfalls for infrastructure projects, according to the Mayor’s Office.
Separately, voters in November are expected to consider a proposed City Charter amendment that would authorize Los Angeles to adopt a five-year capital infrastructure program.
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