Engineers Don’t Know Source of Subway Leaks

Engineers told the Los Angeles County Transportation Committee on Wednesday that they still don’t know the source of water leaks in a new subway station, but it will cost up to $2 million to prevent future leaks.

Water that poured into the Metro Rail subway station at 7th and Flower streets in March may have come from the heavy rains or it might have come from the underground water table, said Rail Construction Corp. executive Al Thide. He added that water might have dripped through faulty welds in a thick plastic tunnel liner, or it could have drizzled through holes made by tools dropped by workers.

But a series of plastic seals, liners, grouting and interior drains would prevent any leaks from dripping on the heads of passengers or endangering the underground rail system’s structure, he said.