Water Flows Again in the Inland Valley

After five days of short showers, dirty laundry and parched lawns, Inland Valley residents returned to regular water use when workers finished repairing a pipeline that serves 6 million in eastern Los Angeles and western San Bernardino counties, officials said Saturday.

Workers toiled around the clock to finish late Friday, two days earlier than scheduled.

“This just goes to show what a dedicated workforce can do,” Phillip J. Pace, chairman of the Metropolitan Water District’s board of directors, said as he stood beside the Live Oak Reservoir. As he spoke, water from the repaired Rialto feeder pipeline flowed into the reservoir, which had nearly emptied during the week.

The repairs on the weakened pipeline severely limited water to 1 million residents in nine cities, including Claremont, La Verne and Rancho Cucamonga. Residents were urged to turn off their automatic sprinklers, take three-minute showers and clean their cars at professional carwashes.

Local districts had to shut off water to some excessive users, but officials said Saturday that most customers conserved, which stretched local supplies. Some cut water use by as much as 60%.

Robert DeLoach, general manager of the Cucamonga Valley Water District, said homeowners and businesses “came through with flying colors.”

“We took every avenue to get the word out to our customers that they needed to conserve -- and they did,” he said.

As soon as Tom Towner heard that the pipeline had been fixed, he headed outside to water the lawn at his La Verne home.

“I’m just trying to get my yard back,” he said while he wet down the grass Saturday morning.

Down the street, James Garant is trying to sell his home and said he is thinking about buying some green dye to hide the brown spots. In the last five days, Garant said he packed the dishwasher full and tried not to wash too many clothes.

“It’s nice to go back to normal,” he said.

Repairs on the pipeline, which carries water from Northern California, had been scheduled for later this year. But an inspection in March showed that the 8-foot diameter pipeline was at risk of bursting and the work couldn’t wait.

Workers shut down the pipe and began draining the water early Monday morning. They then inserted 26 feet of steel liner and replaced an 18-foot section with a welded-steel pipe. They also removed the weakened portion of the pipe.

Workers said Saturday that they had setbacks along the way and were relieved the job was over.

“It was tough,” said Bill Garren, a carpenter who worked from midnight until noon each day. “It was eat, sleep and work until you get it done.”