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SFV communities have no water for nearly 1 week
Thousands of people in Granada Hills and Porter Ranch are still without water as crews continue to try and repair water lines. The repairs were hampered even more by a blown pipe connection in Granada Hills on Saturday.
LOS ANGELES - As thousands of people in the San Fernando Valley have been without water for days, crews working to repair the water lines had a major setback on Saturday when another portion of the water main broke in Granada Hills.
What we know:
A water main broke around 5 p.m. on Saturday near the intersection of Balboa and Senson boulevards in Granada Hills. Video from the area showed water spewing into the street, and crews trying to corral fencing that was floating into the road.
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Families in LA still without water
Families in Porter Ranch and Granada Hills remain without clean water after a days-long outage due to a broken water main in the San Fernando Valley.
"It felt literally like a train going by," said resident Armen Tchouldjian. "I went out and I noticed that there was this black pipe coming out of the ground and they were flowing the water down the street, and the pressure was really strong and I had a feeling that pipe was going to give away. And then maybe five minutes later the next thing I know that pipe just busted, and water was just seeping from the ground like thousands of gallons in what seemed like a minute."
According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, there was a temporary connection at the pipe at the intersection when a pressure spike caused the connector to disconnect. Officials said crews were planning ot drain the pipe at 8 p.m. to prepare to cut it on Sunday. Water to the pipe was also shut off.
Officials urged all residents to "stop all tap water use now" as crews worked to make repairs on Saturday night.
The backstory:
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power warned customers in Granada Hills and Porter Ranch of water outages on Tuesday. The outage started after a water valve broke, as crews were making repairs at a pump station.
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Crews have been working for days to dig down to the broken valve and start repairs. The pipe is more than 20 feet underground, and the path to the pipe has oil and gas lines in the way.
A crucial part of the repair process, officials said, is to refill the tank connected to the faulty valve. Because of that, local officials are asking residents to avoid using their water as much as possible. Those who do have water service are also under a boil water advisory.
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Water main breaks during repairs in Granada Hills
Thousands of residents in Granada Hills and Porter Ranch have been without water for days, as workers try to repair a faulty water valve. Repair crews may have hit a setback on Saturday as a main in Granada Hills appeared to break, sending water spewing everywhere.
At a press conference on Saturday, Mayor Karen Bass said that they hope to have water service restored in the next 48 hours, however LADWP officials tell FOX 11 that the pipe is a "bit of a setback."
Per LADWP Spokesperson:
-it’s a ‘bit of a setback,’ but there were no safety incidents and no employees injured.
-still asking customers to please not run water if they have it in the area
-no word on how much water came out
-more information will come out in a release at 7:30pm
-as for residents who have gone without water and are frustrated to see the break, they can imagine that this is a very tough time it’s hot, it’s an inconvenience, but we are deploying every resource to restore water in the area.
What you can do:
LADWP has set up bottled water distribution sites while also providing non-drinking recycled water, mobile laundry units, and portable toilets.
Support is available from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the following Granada Hills and Porter Ranch locations:
Holleigh Bernson Memorial Park, 20500 Sesnon Blvd, Porter Ranch, CA 91326: Water bottle distribution, recycled water distribution, restrooms, showers, mobile laundry units
O’Melveny Park, 17300 Sesnon Blvd., Granada Hills, CA 91344: Water bottle distribution, recycled water distribution, restrooms
Intersection of Tampa Ave. And Sesnon Blvd. on the border of Northridge and Porter Ranch: Water bottle distribution and recycled water distribution
A new location is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the YMCA located at 11336 Corbin Street in Porter Ranch: Showers, mobile laundry units
LADWP customers including seniors and customers with disabilities and functional needs, as well as those unable to visit the bottled water distribution centers are encouraged to contact the LADWP's call center at 1-800-DIAL-DWP to "report an outage" and request to speak to a customer service representative.
Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability can call 711 to connect with California Relay, or call 1-800-HEAR-DWP for TTY.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, an interview with Armen Tchouldjian and previous FOX 11 reports.