LOS ANGELES (December 21, 2018)- LADWP crews continue to work at the scene of this morning’s 24-inch water main break in South Los Angeles on 55th Street between Main Street and Avalon Blvd. and is coordinating with City agencies and the American Red Cross to assist those affected and displaced by the incident. Residents displaced by the water main break have been transported via LADWP vans to the hotel for the evening.
Following are key updates as of this evening:
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- Water System crews and water quality staff have determined that due to loss of pressure in the ruptured pipe serving 75 customers in the affected area that the pipe must be disinfected in order to ensure the highest water quality standards. This process takes up to 48-hours to complete. As a result, crews have distributed bottled water to area residents this evening as well as placed large water stations in the area to assist residents with household water and sanitary needs until water service can be safely restored.
- LADWP has delivered portable toilets to the area for use by residents tonight. An additional 20 more portable toilets will be delivered by Saturday morning.
- LA City Recreation and Parks’ Fred Robert Recreation Center located at 4700 Honduras Street will remain open until further notice to accommodate the needs of residents.
- One portable shower trailer with three stalls will delivered around midnight at the incident site. Another portable shower trailer will be arriving Saturday at 7 a.m.
- To pick up a vehicle that was towed, call US Towing at 323-870-7100. They are located at 2119 E 25th Street. There will be no charge associated with towing from this incident.
- Red Cross continues to be a partner as we work with affected customers. They can be reached at 1 800-675-5799.
In addition, LADWP is providing lodging and meals at an area hotel for approximately 41 residents whose homes are not able to be occupied.
The City’s Department of Disability and the Department of Animal Services are also working with LADWP to support those who have special needs as well as those who own pets.
Additional Background Information:
This water main that failed early this morning shortly after 5:00 a.m. on 55th Street in South LA was a 24-inch pipe that caused damage to some nearby residences. While the leak was shut down shortly before 9:00 a.m., 41 individuals from the affected households were evacuated from their homes so that the City’s Department of Building and Safety could assess the damage. Four vehicles also sustained serious damage as a result of the water main break.
LADWP crews were able to reduce the leak substantially two hours after the water main break was reported and completely shut off the leak four hours after the break.
Currently, 75 households in the area are without water as crews work diligently to repair the damage to the pipe. The Gas Company has shut off the gas line in the area of the water main break allowing LADWP crews to begin shoring and removal of cars. Safety to our crews and to our customers remains our top priority.
For information on how affected customers can file a damage claim with LADWP, please visit: www.ladwpnews.com/information-on-how-to-file-a-claim/. 55th and 56th Streets between Main and Avalon remain closed to traffic.
If you are affected by the water main break and need additional information, call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397).
For traffic and repair updates, follow @LADWP on Twitter.
