Century-old ruptured water main in West Hollywood was slated for replacement under LADWP project
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ByKevin Ozebek
Friday, July 17, 2026 12:35AM
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (KABC) –The water main that ruptured Thursday in West Hollywood, flooding streets and opening a massive sinkhole, was already slated for replacement as part of a high-priority Los Angeles Department of Water and Power infrastructure project
The ruptured Sunset Trunk Line is included in LADWP’s Water System Capital Improvement Program as a high-priority replacement project, the department said in a statement Thursday. LADWP manages water for roughly two-thirds of West Hollywood residents, according to the city
The utility budgeted $280 million to replace 6.4 miles of the 36-inch-diameter trunk line, along with 6.4 miles of a smaller water line that runs parallel to it
According to LADWP, the replacement project is currently in the design phase
Even with the project designated as high priority, construction was not expected to start for several more years. LADWP’s current schedule calls for work to begin in 2031 and conclude in 2035
The statement comes hours after the water main break near Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive sent water rushing through nearby streets, damaging vehicles, flooding properties and creating a large sinkhole near the Sunset Strip. It led to several road closures heavily impacting traffic
Several streets in West Hollywood were flooded with rushing water following a massive water main break overnight.
LADWP officials said Thursday that the leak occurred in a 36-inch trunk line installed in 1916
“This is one of the challenges when our infrastructure is so old,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters at the scene. “It is my understanding that these pipes are over 100 years old.”
In its 2024-2025 fiscal year, LADWP replaced less than a mile of trunk pipe when the goal was to replace 1.1 miles. But in its latest water infrastructure report, LADWP says the goal is to replace more than three and a half miles of these trunk pipes every year to replace high-risk pipes
Renowned seismologist Lucy Jones says take what you see in West Hollywood as a warning and just imagine what will happen to our aging pipes when “the big one” shakes and breaks them
“So much of L.A.’s water pipes were installed over a hundred years ago because it’s the first thing you do before you build nay houses and it’s across Southern California, that these pipes are the most vulnerable infrastructure that we have,” Jones said
Archives show that there was a 36-inch wide pipe that burst just a few blocks east from Thursday’s incident, on Sunset in 2014. Eyewitness News is waiting for answers from LADWP if this trunk pipe has a history of leaking
While it was not immediately known exactly what caused Thursday’s water main rupture, LADWP says these pipes often burst in overnight hours because the pressure builds up with less demand as people sleep
Crews spent hours Thursday shutting down the highly pressurized system and responding to damage caused by the break. Officials have not said whether the incident will affect the timeline for the planned replacement project
Several streets in West Hollywood were inundated with fast-moving water following a water main break. Here’s a look at the widespread impact of the rushing water from AIR7.
City News Service contributed to this report
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