Miscikowski Urges DWP to Speed Up Pipe Repairs

Alarmed by a burst pipe that sent thousands of gallons of water gushing into an Encino neighborhood, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski called on water officials Friday to speed up inspections and repairs of antiquated mains throughout the city, some of which date back nearly a century.

“We can’t see how our water mains and our sewers are wearing out because they’re underground. But we know they are wearing out and that the danger to the public is real,” Miscikowski said. “We can no longer afford to neglect the dangers beneath our feet.”

Reports by the Department of Water and Power in 1993 and 1996 identified 65 miles of old mains as in need of upgrading within 10 years at a cost of $250 million, the DWP said Friday. Thirty-six miles of pipe, including several lines in the San Fernando Valley, are at highest risk and top the list for replacement or repair.

So far, however, the cash-strapped water agency has refurbished only one mile, officials said.

“We simply have to do better than one mile in four years,” Miscikowski said. “To those who would say that we can’t afford to replace these pipes, I say that Thursday morning’s near-disaster proves that we can’t afford not to.”

At 1 a.m. Thursday, a 36-inch pipe burst beneath Encino Avenue, spouting a geyser 20 feet high and flooding nearby property.

The ruptured main had been installed 76 years ago, had leaked at least twice before from that same section, and had been identified as in need of replacement, DWP officials said. DWP workers were expected to finish repairing the pipe Friday by welding a steel patch onto the fracture.

“I don’t think we should be unduly alarmed because this section broke,” said Mitchell Kodama of the DWP general manager’s office. “I realize it’s a hardship in the neighborhood, but the evaluation that we made in terms of priorities still remains the same.”

Kodama acknowledged that the replacement of antiquated mains has not gone quickly, partly because the water agency has focused more on water-quality improvement programs than pipe replacement. And there is the issue of cost.

“Where do we get the money?” Kodama said.

Miscikowski, a first-term council member who has made infrastructure improvements her highest legislative priority, said the Encino incident demonstrated the need to identify which segments of antiquated water mains were at greatest risk and then to speed up their replacement.

Miscikowski plans to introduce a motion on Tuesday directing the DWP to report back within 30 days with a proposal for accelerating repairs.

“We can’t wait any longer to deal with this crisis waiting to happen,” she said.