Big Mess: Canoga Park Water Main Break

Canoga Park (myFOXla.com) - The latest DWP water main break shut down a busy boulevard in Canoga Park and temporarily left 50 customers without service, a utility official said.

The break occurred around 3 p.m. on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, not far from the Ventura (101) Freeway, said Stephanie Interiano of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

"We were able to get the water off quickly, and our crews are starting repairs as we speak," Interiano said.

Southbound lanes were closed on Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Vanowen Street and Victory Boulevard during the repair work, she said.

It was unknown when the road would reopen.

Yesterday, two water mains broke this morning in the San Fernando Valley, triggering flooding in Winnetka and Warner Center.

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.