Water Main Breaks Create Problems In Hollywood Hills, Venice

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Los Angeles city crews were busy conducting repairs on two water main breaks in the Hollywood Hills and Venice early Tuesday morning.

L.A. Department of Water and Power crews restored service early Tuesday morning after a water main break occurred a little before 3:30 p.m. Monday in the Hollywood Hills. A 12-inch water pipe ruptured along the busy Cahuenga Boulevard, between Barham and Universal Studios boulevards. Thousands of gallons of water were sent gushing down Cahuenga, shutting down a portion of the roadway.

The water flooded the sidewalks outside several businesses, including a sports bar and a French bakery.

"It actually took some time for the firemen to come, it took maybe like 40 minutes for them to come out," said Marime Lefiucheur, owner of Sweet Lily Bakery. "And then they told us its gonna take hours, they don't know how to stop it."

Lefiucheur said the water did not get into her shop. However, it appears the bar may have suffered some water damage.

LADWP crews were slowly pressurizing the water back to no normal, with full water pressure expected sometime later Tuesday morning. It's unclear exactly how many homes and businesses were affected by the break.

Meanwhile, a 6-inch cast iron water main broke and flooded the 900 block of Abbot Kinney Boulevard beginning sometime before 2 a.m. Tuesday.

The water flowed for over an hour before L.A. Department of Water and Power crews responded and shut it off. Water even reached the steps of some businesses, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

About 12 LADWP customers were affected, including the administrative building for Western Avenue Elementary School. The repairs were expected to take several hours to complete.

The cause of the break were unknown.