Century-old water main floods West Hollywood, damages businesses as questions grow over aging infrastructure
110-year-old water main breaks in West Hollywood
A 110-year-old water main ruptured beneath the Sunset Strip, flooding streets, businesses and parking garages in West Hollywood. Exclusive FOX 11 video captured the moment floodwaters rushed into Dialog Coffee, where owners now face costly damage and cleanup.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A 110-year-old water main ruptured beneath the Sunset Strip before dawn Thursday, sending millions of gallons of water rushing through the streets of West Hollywood, flooding businesses, damaging vehicles and leaving behind a cleanup expected to last for days.
The break happened shortly before 4 a.m. at Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive, where a 36-inch steel water transmission main failed, creating a powerful surge that swept through nearby streets before Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews isolated the damaged line.
No serious injuries were reported, but the flooding left businesses underwater, garages filled with several feet of water and a massive sinkhole in the middle of the intersection.
Exclusive video captures moment flooding began
Surveillance video obtained exclusively by FOX 11 shows the moment a wall of water raced down Holloway Drive and poured into Dialog Coffee, one of several businesses damaged by the flooding.
"It's not one of those things you're thinking about that can happen," said Tadah Ghazalian, co-owner of Dialog Coffee, after watching the video.
Inside the café, muddy water coated the floors, furniture and equipment after the flood pushed through the business.
"It basically took the entire area here all the way to the back," Ghazalian said.
The damage could cost tens of thousands of dollars, he said.
For now, Ghazalian said his priority is taking care of employees before worrying about insurance claims or legal action.
"Right now, the biggest thing is making sure our staff is taken care of, getting everything cleaned up and seeing what kind of damage we have," he said.
The business is also considering launching a GoFundMe campaign to help cover recovery costs.
Floodwaters fill garages, damage vehicles
The rushing water poured into underground parking garages throughout the neighborhood.
According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, water reached roughly 4 to 5 feet deep in some lower areas, with enough force to pop open vehicle trunks and even deploy airbags.
"The mud, debris, everything came into these structures and destroyed what was in here," said Capt. Chris Reade of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Throughout the day, firefighters searched flooded buildings, garages and vehicles to ensure no one had become trapped while crews pumped thousands of gallons of water from underground structures.
Officials said no serious injuries were reported.
Aging infrastructure under scrutiny
The rupture involved a 36-inch steel water transmission main that was installed about 110 years ago.
LADWP crews spent Thursday excavating the damaged pipe to determine what caused the failure.
The incident has renewed questions about the age of Los Angeles' underground water infrastructure.
"Aging infrastructure is a challenge," Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said. "When I was on the City Council, we were talking about the aging infrastructure and what we needed our regional partners to do to make those investments."
FOX 11 asked LADWP how many water mains throughout the city are roughly the same age as the one that failed.
"I don't have a number," LADWP spokesperson Joe Castruita said. "But with our extensive main replacement program, we replace approximately 240,000 feet a year."
LADWP maintains roughly 7,400 miles of water pipelines across Los Angeles, replacing about 45 miles annually as part of its ongoing infrastructure program.
Cleanup continues
As crews continued digging through the intersection Thursday, blocks of businesses along the Sunset Strip remained closed while owners assessed flood damage and began cleanup.
Although the flooding has stopped and water service has largely been restored, some customers may continue to experience low water pressure while repairs are completed.
For business owners like Ghazalian, the flood lasted only a few hours.
The recovery could take much longer.