UPDATE/LADWP Advises Customers in Laurel Canyon and Mt. Olympus Areas to Continue Boiling Drinking Water; Boil Water Notice Issued as a Precautionary Measure

Business Wire, July 8, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is asking customers in the Laurel Canyon and Mount Olympus areas to continue boiling water for drinking and cooking today until sampling test results confirm the water is safe to drink. The "Boil Water Notice" was issued Thursday as a safety precaution following a water main break in the 3000 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard.

The notice applies to LADWP customers located within the following boundaries: South of Mulholland Drive and Woodrow Wilson Drive; West of Pacific View Drive and Runyon Canyon Park; North of Grandview Drive; and east of Wonderland Drive and Doheny Drive.

LADWP has completed work to replace the 16-inch water main, which ruptured at about 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, initially affecting 60 customers. The main was taken out of service Thursday morning to replace parts of the old pipe. While there is no known or suspected contamination of the water system, the "Boil Water Notice" is a precautionary measure due to loss of pressure associated with the water main break. Such notifications are standard whenever water pressure falls below 5 pounds per square inch.

The water service was fully restored to normal pressure by 10 p.m. Thursday, but the precautionary boil water notice will remain in effect until the system is thoroughly inspected and the water tested.

LADWP is working closely with the California Department of Health Services to test and evaluate the water quality in the pipes and take all necessary steps to ensure the water supply is safe to drink. LADWP expects to receive final test results by early tomorrow morning and will notify customers when the "Boil Water Notice" is lifted. Meanwhile, LADWP continues to make bottled water available to people in the affected area. The water can be picked up at the site of the repair work, Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Dona Dorotea.

In addition, the Bureau of Street Services (BOSS) is working to repair the damaged section of Laurel Canyon Boulevard. BOSS expects to open two northbound lanes this afternoon to accommodate commuter traffic, and expects to complete repaving and reopen the road Saturday morning.

For more information about the status of the "Boil Water Notice," call 1-800-DIAL-DWP. For more information about the street repair and road closure, call 311.