Los Angeles officials are pleading with residents in Porter Ranch and Granada Hills not to flush toilets or water lawns amid a days-long water service outage, saying it could push back repairs.
On Tuesday, a valve that controls water flow into the affected communities broke, interrupting service to roughly 9,200 households just as a heatwave gripped the region, with temperatures hitting the high 90s to low 100s.
A day after the break, the L.A. Department of Water and Power issued a notice to boil water in parts of Porter Ranch and Granada Hills, advising that failing to do so “could result in stomach or intestinal illness.”
By Friday morning, many customers saw their water restored, but DWP urged even those with water in their taps to stop using it. While crews are digging a deep pit to reach and repair the broken valve, others are working to fill and pressurize a large water tank that serves the area. However, the pressure dropped overnight as residents went about their business.
“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 [Los Angeles Department of Water and Power] to get the line back and restored, and for your use of water to be back to normal, so that you don’t have to boil water, so that you don’t have to conserve,” L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said during a press conference on Saturday afternoon.
On Aug. 6, DWP crews at Porter Ranch Drive and Rinaldi Street in Porter Ranch were pumping water into the distribution system to help with water demand. The goal is to fix the system by the early morning of Aug. 11.
(Al Seib / For The Times)
“I know after two days of not having water, when we see that water sort of start trickling into our faucets, that we think all is okay, but in fact we need to build up that pressure,” said L.A. City Councilmember John Lee.
DWP general manager Janisse Quiñones said the city wants to restore the system by 3.a.m on Monday “but that is very dependent on the pressure.”
As of 1:30 pm on Saturday, a 10-million-gallon tank serving the area was about 20% full. Less than seven hours earlier, the tank was estimated to be 27% full. She blamed consumption.
The tank has lost an equivalent of one million gallons during high demand periods, Quiñones said, “the equivalent of 776,000 toilet flushes.”
Some people in the afflicted neighborhoods claim not everyone is following the advisory to lay off the taps.
“Where I’m at, they’re not adhering to the rules,” area resident Robert Morris told KTLA 5. “They’re still watering the grass. They’re making it hard on them. They’re trying to fix it.”
Several restaurants in the area reported on social media that they were staying open, relying on bottled water and other beverages, and outside deliveries of ice.
Quiñones said her agency is working to identify the businesses that are fed by the damaged system.
“The ones that are open have been cleared that they’re being fed by another system that is not impacted,” she said.
Shortly after city officials pleaded for residents to save water, a coupling on a temporary pipe rigged to usher water into the struggling system failed. A gusher of water spurted into the air and down a street in Granada Hills
To start replacing the broken valve, DWP crews had intended to begin emptying the water from the pipe at 8 p.m. on Saturday. The pipe blew out before that happened, according to a news release.
“Obviously, the manner in which it was drained this evening is not ideal, and was unfortunate,” said Jessie Johnson, a spokesperson for DWP.
The blowout will delay repairs, but likely by hours rather than days, she said.
The water saga began Tuesday, as crews worked on a pump station that connects to the water tank that serves the area. A water control valve broke and failed to reopen, cutting off flow to the 54-inch-diameter pipe that feeds the area.
Since the break, DWP reported its crews have worked around the clock to replace the broken valve while also pumping water into the system.
The complex repairs entail working 20 feet underground and near other critical infrastructure, DWP officials said.
Crews have excavated 85% of the area and have begun digging by hand around the valve to ensure adjacent oil pipelines, a fiber optic line and a gas line are not affected, Quiñones said.
DWP has opened five locations for residents to shower, do laundry and pick up bottled water:
- Holleigh Bernson Memorial Park, 20500 Sesnon Blvd, Porter Ranch: Water bottle distribution, recycled water distribution, restrooms, showers, mobile laundry units. 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.
- O’Melveny Park, 17300 Sesnon Blvd., Granada Hills: Water bottle distribution, recycled water distribution, restrooms. 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.
- Intersection of Tampa Ave. And Sesnon Blvd. on the border of Northridge and Porter Ranch: Water bottle distribution and recycled water distribution. 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.
- YMCA, 11336 Corbin Street, Porter Ranch: Showers, mobile laundry units. 5 a.m. – 10 p.m.
- Intersection of Rinaldi and Louise Ave: Showers, mobile laundry units, restrooms. 5 a.m. – 10 p.m.
