The street resembled a roaring river after an 8-inch water main on Somerset Drive broke twice last weekend, flooding the street in the Crenshaw Manor neighborhood.
According to the L.A. Department of Water and Power, the first break occurred on Saturday, Nov. 4. After city crews completed the repairs on Sunday, Nov. 5, a different section of the same pipe began leaking, leading LADWP to shut off the water that had just been restored to homes on Somerset.
The frustration of residents was quite noticeable on Monday as crews continued repairs on the water main. Dainee Tucker, whose home faced the huge construction area, expressed her disappointment with the situation as she shared photos of the previous night’s scene.
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“This is the 2nd sinkhole in the last 72 hours. It started with a small leakage in front of our house. After 45 minutes, my kids told me, Mom, there’s a small river in front of our house,” said Tucker. “This caused a lot of hardship for my household. We haven’t had running water since Saturday.”
LADWP staff sought to ease the impact on residents by distributing bottled water for consumption along with non-drinking water for flushing or other needs. The complex repairs to the water main were finished on Monday about 8 p.m., the agency reported.
“To put this watermain break into perspective, LADWP’s water distribution system includes over 7,000 miles of water pipelines and our leaks rate is 30% lower than the national average,” Ellen Cheng, LADWP spokesperson.
“In any large water distribution system, leaks and pipe breaks will occur. When a mainline breaks, our crews work as quickly and safely as possible to ensure that affected customers get water service back.”
