A century-old Los Angeles Department of Water and Power main turned the Sunset Strip into a roaring urban river, blasting millions of gallons of water downhill through West Hollywood’s densely packed streets.
The rupture in the 36‑inch riveted steel pipe, installed in 1916, carved out a massive sinkhole, inundated garages and a Metro bus yard, and left residents in one of L.A.’s bluest enclaves literally awash in the consequences of aging infrastructure.
The break was on a riveted steel pipe from 1916 that forms the major arteries for water delivery from reservoirs and tanks to smaller distribution mainlines across Los Angeles. The section of the Sunset Trunk Line was slated to be replaced in 2031, according to the utility.There are about 547 miles of trunk line underground across the city. In 2019, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said roughly 29% of the city’s pipes were over 80 years old, approaching their typical lifespan of 100 years.Utilities have been struggling to keep the system going, given funds are limited for any kind of major overhaul of the aging pipes.“Over time rust, corrosion and those sorts of things sets in,” said David Feldman, professor emeritus of urban planning and public policy at UC Irvine. “They have a tremendous grid of pipes and obviously they’re not going to be able to replace every single one,” he said. “They couldn’t afford to and the disruption would be enormous.”
Residents were stunned by the flooding, and several thought an earthquake had struck.
The break triggered widespread flooding in the area Thursday morning, with homes inundated and hundreds of vehicles damaged after underground parking garages filled with water. One person was temporarily swept away in the fast-moving floodwaters.Residents described a chaotic and frightening scene as the water surged through the neighborhood.”I thought this was an earthquake of some sort, a maybe a natural catastrophe,” said Tehran Von Ghasri, a West Hollywood property owner. “I didn’t imagine this was going to be a water main break, especially with the noises and the flooding.””I’ve never experienced this before in the neighborhood, like a complete halt … gridlock,” said West Hollywood resident Ikill Orion. “You would think it was a hurricane or earthquake or something like that.”
This is going to be a long-term clean-up effort around one of the most iconic spots in the country.
Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.
This episode reminds me of the massive raw sewage spill on the East Coast earlier this year, caused by a rupture in the Potomac Interceptor.
This crisis illustrated the predictable consequences of neglected maintenance and questionable spending priorities by DC Water, resulting from political and managerial choices that prioritized image and amenities over core infrastructure, with downstream Maryland communities bearing the public‑health impacts.
With the Los Angeles water infrastructure clearly reaching the end of its lifespan, and with these water resources inherently necessary for public health and regional safety, the entire system should receive serious attention. However, it is unlikely the city will be getting the leadership needed to focus on these issues in the near future.
Given that the city is hosting the 2028 Olympics, this incident is a warning that infrastructure must be functional if Los Angeles wishes to be taken seriously for future games.
As officials scramble to coordinate repairs, traffic closures, and damage claims, expect many of the same local leaders who lecture the rest of us on “resilience” and “climate justice” to demand now emergency funds to fix a system they have allowed to decay for the last couple of decades.
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