Huge Water Main Breaks in Winnetka

Winnetka (myFOXla.com) - Two water mains broke this morning in the San Fernando Valley, triggering flooding in Winnetka and Warner Center.

The newest rupture came at 4:38 a.m., about two hours after an 8-inch water main broke a mile and a half to the north in a Winnetka neighborhood.

The broken mains today added to the recent rash of Department of Water and Power pipe failures since Sept. 5.

Firefighters were on scene at the break on Burbank, and a request was made for DWP and traffic control crews, a Los Angeles Fire dispatch supervisor said. Workers were trying to turn water off 90 minutes after the break, a DWP spokeswoman said.

The first busted main and the ensuing flooding were reported at 2:26 a.m. at Corbin Avenue and Kittridge Street, just north of the concrete-lined Los Angeles River wash, according to a Fire Department dispatch supervisor.

An area around the broken main was coned off, but the intersection remained open to traffic, a Water and Power spokeswoman said. Repair crews were expected to start fixing the rupture after daybreak, she said.

No customers immediately lost water due to the Winnetka rupture, though water pressure in the neighborhood may be low, the spokeswoman said.

Today's ruptures continues a string that has raised concern among city leaders.

A main ruptured under Exposition Boulevard, near 11th Avenue, between midnight and 1 a.m. Tuesday.

On Saturday, an 8-inch-diameter water main broke Saturday on Melrose Avenue near Fairfax High School. Another ruptured Friday in the Vermont Knolls area of South Los Angeles.

On Sept. 9, two 6-inch water lines broke in the Fairfax District, and the day before, a 6-inch main gave out, causing a sinkhole that half-swallowed a fire truck just east of Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Valley Village.

The recent streak of pipe failures began Sept. 5, when a 64-inch trunk line installed in 1914 broke in Studio City and shut down Coldwater Canyon Avenue for a week.

Los Angeles City Council members said last week they intended to monitor ongoing upgrades to 7,000 miles of city pipelines.