A water main ruptured in the 8100 block of Melrose Avenue on Monday morning, forcing crews to close the street for several hours while the pipe and some damage to the street was repaired.

The break occurred between Crescent Heights Boulevard and Kilkea Drive and was reported around 6:00am, according to Gale Harris, public relations specialist with the Los Angeles Department of Waster and Power (LADWP). The rupture occurred on an eight-inch cast iron pipe and buckled the pavement, causing water and mud to flow on to the street and sidewalk. Approximately 25 to 30 customers had their water shut off, Harris said. The repairs were made by 3:00pm, and the water was restored.

Some of the stores in the immediate area of the pipe rupture experienced some flooding, including the Jonathan Adler store at the corner of Kilkea Drive and Melrose Avenue.

“It was kind of a major issue, and it did cause us some problems. We had a couple of inches of water come in and we will probably have to put some new carpet down,” said Tony Langness, assistant manager for the Jonathan Adler store. “We closed for a little bit but opened later that day. We are just using fans to dry the place out. It is something we’ll just have to live with.”

Another rupture occurred on January 22 around 3:30am in the 6000 block of W. Sunset Boulevard, where a trunk line burst under the street. Trunk lines are made of riveted steel and carry large volumes of water to entire regions of the city. The size and extent of the damage caused customers to be without water for 20 hours while repairs were made, according to Maychelle Yee, public relations specialist with the LADWP.

“It’s one of the main arteries for water and can take much longer to repair,” Yee said. “In this case, the pipe was not repaired until the next day around 11:00pm.”

Yee said customers who drastically need water have the option of contacting the LADWP to ask for an emergency water source.

No cause was determined for either water main breaks, but Yee said more pipes rupture during this time of the year because of cold temperatures that cause contraction in the ground. She did not know how old the pipes in the area were, but added the LADWP is in the process of retrofitting many of its older lines, some of which are between 80 and 100 years old.

The ruptures are the latest in a series of pipe breaks that have occurred throughout the city since last September. The LADWP convened a special panel of experts from USC, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech and other entities with scientific expertise to study the problems, but no conclusion has been reached.

photo by Edwin Folven Crews needed heavy equipment to repair a water main that ruptured Monday on Melrose Avenue.

A water main ruptured in the 8100 block of Melrose Avenue on Monday morning, forcing crews to close the street for several hours while the pipe and some damage to the street was repaired.

The break occurred between Crescent Heights Boulevard and Kilkea Drive and was reported around 6:00am, according to Gale Harris, public relations specialist with the Los Angeles Department of Waster and Power (LADWP). The rupture occurred on an eight-inch cast iron pipe and buckled the pavement, causing water and mud to flow on to the street and sidewalk. Approximately 25 to 30 customers had their water shut off, Harris said. The repairs were made by 3:00pm, and the water was restored.

Some of the stores in the immediate area of the pipe rupture experienced some flooding, including the Jonathan Adler store at the corner of Kilkea Drive and Melrose Avenue.

“It was kind of a major issue, and it did cause us some problems. We had a couple of inches of water come in and we will probably have to put some new carpet down,” said Tony Langness, assistant manager for the Jonathan Adler store. “We closed for a little bit but opened later that day. We are just using fans to dry the place out. It is something we’ll just have to live with.”

Another rupture occurred on January 22 around 3:30am in the 6000 block of W. Sunset Boulevard, where a trunk line burst under the street. Trunk lines are made of riveted steel and carry large volumes of water to entire regions of the city. The size and extent of the damage caused customers to be without water for 20 hours while repairs were made, according to Maychelle Yee, public relations specialist with the LADWP.

“It’s one of the main arteries for water and can take much longer to repair,” Yee said. “In this case, the pipe was not repaired until the next day around 11:00pm.”

Yee said customers who drastically need water have the option of contacting the LADWP to ask for an emergency water source.

No cause was determined for either water main breaks, but Yee said more pipes rupture during this time of the year because of cold temperatures that cause contraction in the ground. She did not know how old the pipes in the area were, but added the LADWP is in the process of retrofitting many of its older lines, some of which are between 80 and 100 years old.

The ruptures are the latest in a series of pipe breaks that have occurred throughout the city since last September. The LADWP convened a special panel of experts from USC, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech and other entities with scientific expertise to study the problems, but no conclusion has been reached.