By 5:45 p.m., crews from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said they had estored service to all six of the main breaks.
DWP officials said the main breaks were related to an annual inspection of the cover of the Lower Franklin Reservoir. They shut down water coming from there, which temporarily increased pressure overnight.
The water-main breaks were reported at the following locations:
- 8-inch main in the 900 block of Croft Avenue, installed in 1969
- 6-inch main in the 5800 block of La Mirada Avenue, installed in 1925
- 8-inch main in the 6000 block of Waring Avenue, installed in 1930
- 4-inch main in the 1100 block of North McCadden Place, installed in 1927
- 8-inch main at the intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Third Street, installed in 1949
- 8-inch main in the 300 block of N. Vista Street, installed in 1962
The main break at the busy Third Street and Fairfax Avenue intersection was the biggest inconvenience for drivers because it was right next to the Grove. Crews shut down Third Street from Ogden Drive and Fairfax Avenue as they replaced the 63-year-old main.
Street flooding was seen in the areas of Croft Avenue and Romaine Street and in the 300 block of Vista Street.
Curtis William woke up to find his Volvo SUV right on top of one of the breaks, with water gushing below the vehicle. The 8-inch main that burst only damaged the Volvo's running board.
The pipes that burst ranged in age from 43 to 87. Repairing them was expected to take several hours.
"As part of regular inspection protocol, the reservoir is taken offline and temporarily replaced by a different source of water. Operational changes such as these can cause fluctuations in pressure and expose weaknesses in older main lines," DWP said in a statement.
Officials said 130 DWP customers were affected. All customers had their water restored by late afternoon.
Linzi Bernethy usually parks in her driveway, but as luck would have it, the one time she parked on Croft Avenue, she walked outside to find her street mostly covered with water.
"I was shocked. It's like a disaster," she said.
Third Street was expected to be closed until about 7 p.m.
