Although the Los Angeles River looks more like a rain-starved trickle these days, parts of this drought-stricken city have been awash in an unusual sight – torrents of floodwater sweeping cars off streets and barbecues out of backyards.
Not a drop of rain has fallen on Los Angeles since June 5, according to the National Weather Service, but aging water pipes have been blowing up at the rate of more than one a day in recent weeks.
From the city's bohemian, beach-front community of Venice to the pre-World War II cottages that dot foothills surrounding the San Fernando Valley, people are becoming increasingly angry, muddy and wet as they watch millions of gallons of water wash away.
The number of breaks – 36 during the first three weeks of September – really isn't an unusual amount for a city the size of Los Angeles, said James McDaniel, senior assistant general manager with the Department of Water and Power. What is unusual, he said, is the severity of the recent breaks, including one that created a sinkhole so big it nearly swallowed a fire truck.
"It's not what causes a break but why did the break break in such a way that it causes this much damage," McDaniel told a City Council panel looking into the matter on Wednesday. He added that his agency has appointed a panel of experts to study the city's geology, its 7,200 miles of pipeline, its pattern of water use and any other potential causes.
Martha McCully | Posted 10.08.2009 | Living