Water main break may have resulted from outdated engineering practices
By Jeong Park
Aug. 5, 2014 4:38 p.m.
City officials cited outdated engineering practices as the cause of last week’s water main burst in several statements this week.
There was an extensive amount of corrosion both inside and outside of the pipes that burst on July 29 near UCLA, said Jim McDaniel, senior assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, at Tuesday’s Board of Water and Power Commissioners meeting.
The water main burst at a juncture where two pipes joined together. One pipe was 93 years old with a 30-inch diameter and the other was 58 years old with a 36-inch diameter.
As pipes age, corrosion caused by the flow of electric current causes pipe walls to thin and reduces a pipe’s ability to handle water pressure.
McDaniel also said some of the welding on the ruptured pipe was engineered in a way that is no longer common practice. In a press conference Monday, Mayor Eric Garcetti said he thinks it is possible that a poorly engineered juncture between the two pipes caused the rupture, though he didn’t go into further detail.
McDaniel said LADWP has installed high-quality butterfly valves, which have discs in the middle of the pipe to regulate water flow, in the main near UCLA that will be able to withstand high pressure. The agency also coated valves and pipes with anti-corrosive material so they will wear down less quickly in the future, McDaniel said.
LADWP General Manager Marcie Edwards said the department is mindful of the damage the rupture caused for the UCLA community.
The agency is coordinating with UCLA in assessing damages and addressing liabilities, she said. LADWP claims representatives are currently on site at Parking Lot 36 and Jackie Robinson Stadium from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Thursday to assist with filing claims, she added.
On Tuesday, the board also discussed how to address the city’s aging infrastructure.
“The amount of money we are going to be faced with (in terms of litigation) could have been resolved if we replaced the 93-year-old pipe sooner,” said LADWP Commissioner Jill Barad.
LADWP maintains a list of pipes that are a high priority for replacement, but it’s hard to replace those pipes without more funding, McDaniel said.
The section of the water main that ruptured on Sunset Boulevard is not on that list, said LADWP spokesman Albert Rodriguez.
McDaniel added that LADWP is looking to bring back a water pipe testing program that was discontinued 10 years ago because of a lack of funding.
The L.A. City Council is scheduled to discuss the matter during its Energy and Environment Committee meeting on Wednesday at 2 p.m. in City Hall.
Compiled by Jeong Park, Bruin senior staff.
