March 29, 2024
Watermain break invades UCLA campus
WESTWOOD – (INT) – Damage is being assessed from the worst water main break in Los Angeles in at least five years.

The 93-year-old high pressure pipe ruptured Tuesday afternoon beneath Sunset Boulevard above the campus of UCLA.

Relentless waves of water rushed onto the campus inundating most of Drake Field and invading Pauley Pavilion which recently underwent a $133 million renovation. Two underground parking facilities filled with water endangering several vehicles.

Students milled about some with boogie boards. There was one swift-water rescue, but there were no injuries.

It took the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power more than two hours to shut off the water. It spewed out at the rate of 35,000 gallons a minute.

The break in the 30-inch main left a huge sink hole in the middle of Sunset Boulevard which was shut down. No homes were damaged.

Repairs could take weeks.

The rupture was the latest in LA’s aging water delivery system and came as a 3-year drought worsens.
Story Date: July 30, 2014
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