Overview
- A nearly 110‑year‑old, 36‑inch transmission pipe burst early Thursday, sending about 17 million gallons of water into West Hollywood and creating a large sinkhole and widespread flooding.
- Workers cut out a 25‑foot damaged section and welded in a new 3‑foot steel segment, then began slowly repressurizing the line to check for leaks and prepare for disinfection.
- LADWP crews are carrying out chlorine disinfection, water‑quality testing and dechlorination before they can backfill the trench and repave Sunset Boulevard, so the street remains closed and no firm reopening date is set.
- The neighborhood is being served by a temporary 8‑inch supply with reduced pressure, and officials estimate roughly 150–200 vehicles were damaged while some residents remain displaced and several businesses are closed.
- Other smaller mains broke around the city over the weekend, highlighting strain on aging pipes that LADWP says it will replace under a long‑term plan with construction on the Sunset trunk scheduled to start around 2031.