Ruptured Torrance Storm Drain Fixed

The roar of bulldozers drowned out the sound of pounding surf at Torrance Beach on Thursday as Los Angeles County workers repaired a large storm drain crumpled by rain from this week’s storms.

The rushing water washed out large amounts of sand at the beach and damaged a nearby concession stand.

“People don’t realize it, but water has terrible force,” said county structural engineer Donald E. Lee as he watched two dozen workers operating bulldozers and shoveling sand around the new drain.

The drain, which carries runoff from residential areas in the Hollywood Riviera section of Torrance, gave way this week after back-to-back storms sent torrents of water rushing through the aging pipe.

The rainstorm Monday night “blew out” the portion of the drain in front of a retaining wall on the east side of Torrance Beach, Lee said. Then, when another storm brought more rain Tuesday night, the pipe broke behind the wall.

“If you can imagine a hose flowing full--30 inches in diameter--you’ve got a lot of force,” Lee said.

He gestured across the sand to a long, twisted piece of metal, part of the old drain. It is being replaced by a 75-foot piece of new pipe, which is being covered with sand. Lee estimated repair costs at $25,000 to $75,000.

Dick Perkins, Torrance city division engineer, said the city takes care of the storm drain until it reaches the sand, where it becomes the county’s responsibility. But Larry Charness, chief of planning for the county Department of Beaches and Harbors, said the county will be talking to the city about sharing the cost of repairs.

The concession stand next to the pipe is still being assessed for damage, but Charness said its foundation needs to be shored up.

Signs of storm damage are evident up and down the beach. Muddy fissures run through the ice plant-covered slope on the eastern side of Torrance Beach, and parts of the oceanfront bike path have been undermined and closed.

A total of 2.1 inches of rainfall from the two storms was measured at Torrance Municipal Airport. That brings Torrance rainfall to 9.62 inches since last September.

The storms and accompanying wind felled trees throughout the city and mangled several cars, said Hector Molina, Torrance street maintenance supervisor. In all, 51 trees are known to have toppled or suffered major damage in Torrance, Molina said.