West Hollywood water main break gushes 9,600 gallons of water per minute

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Water pours down North Olive Drive after a main ruptured on Sunset Boulevard. (Emily Rhyne / Los Angeles Times)

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William Lopez, chief engineer at the Grafton Hotel, uses a squeegee to scrape debris from the sidewalk as water pours down Sunset Boulevard. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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People stopped to take pictures of flowing water along North Olive Drive, following a water main break on Sunset Boulevard. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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People use tables to try to keep flooding water from entering their businesses along Sunset Boulevard. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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A water main break sent torrents of muddy water down the Sunset Strip on Friday afternoon. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Crews respond to the mess after a water main broke in West Hollywood. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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A pedestrian make his way around cascading water along North Olive Drive after a water main break on Sunset Boulevard. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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A water main break in West Hollywood caused several street closures. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters fill sandbags along Sunset Boulevard during the water main break. (Emily Rhyne / Los Angeles Times)

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A water main break flooded sidewalks and streets on the Sunset Strip. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

By Hailey Branson-Potts

and Ryan Parker

Sept. 26, 2014 7:13 PM PT

A water main break on a 36-inch pipe in West Hollywood on Friday afternoon sent torrents of muddy water down Sunset Strip, prompting a series of street closures as crews respond to the mess.

At its peak, the break was spewing 9,600 gallons of water per minute, said Michelle Vargas, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Water was shut off to the main around 6:10 p.m., according to the LADWP.

Streets are expected to reopen by Saturday morning, officials said.

The break near Sunset Boulevard and North Olive Drive occurred at 2:18 p.m., and authorities are still trying determine the extent of damage. Live aerial television news footage showed water overflowing storm drains along the Sunset Strip near the Comedy Store and House of Blues, and vehicles driving through pools of water.

“We are very relieved to know that there were no injuries reported and that damage, at this point, appears to be minimal,” West Hollywood Mayor John D’Amico said in a statement. “Now, our focus is to begin clean-up and get traffic moving again while the LADWP assesses damage and moves forward with repairs.”

Road closures included Sunset Boulevard between La Cienega Boulevard and Sweetzer Avenue, and La Cienega between Fountain Avenue and Sunset.

Sunset Boulevard will remain closed to traffic between La Cienega and Crescent Heights boulevards until clean-up is completed, according to officials.

The steel main belongs to the LADWP.

As of 5:20 p.m., there were no reports of customers without water due to the break, but that may change as officials shut down the pipe for repairs, according to the LADWP.

The shutdown process is complicated as it involves approximately 15 valves that have to be hand-turned in a coordinated manner to isolate the pipe, according to the LADWP.

Authorities are asking people to avoid the area.

Crews will work through the evening to repair it, officials said.

The pipe with the break was installed in 1916, then cement-lined in 1957, according to the LADWP.

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