Westside : 140 Homes Still Without Water

It could be a hot and thirsty holiday for a few Malibu residents.

Although county engineers have replenished most of the water tanks and restored service to about 98% of Malibu’s homes after last weekend’s water main break near Big Rock Drive, more than 140 residences are still suffering a drought.

Most of the parched households are at higher elevations. Once the water pressure builds back to proper levels in the next week, the arid estates again will become oases.

County workers finished repairing the 30-inch water line that ruptured in two places under Pacific Coast Highway on Saturday night.

The quick fix came none too soon. By Sunday night, three emergency reserve water tanks holding more than 4 million gallons of water in Malibu had been depleted. About 13,000 residents were left to fend for themselves.

City engineers attributed the water break to ground movement caused by excessive moisture in the area left over from the winter rains. Geologists are scouting for an alternate water main route around the unstable Big Rock area.

To avoid another run on bottled water at the supermarket, has the county considered a separate line to pump Evian?

“We can do anything as long as they want to pay for it,” said Donna Guyovich, a spokeswoman for the county Department of Public Works.