UCLA flood: DWP should cover costs of water-main break, school says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The quiet summer campus of UCLA found itself suddenly steeped in water and chaos after a major water pipe burst and spewed some eight million gallons, stranding people in parking garages and flooding the school's storied basketball court less than two years after a major renovation.
The 30-inch, nearly century old pipe burst under nearby Sunset Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon, sending water 30 feet into the air, opening a 15-foot hole in the street and inundating part of the campus that was soon swarmed with police and firefighters.
"Unfortunately UCLA was the sink for this water source," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said.
The break came amid a historic drought when residents are now being threatened with $500 fines for overuse.
"We lost a lot of water, around 35,000 gallons a minute, which is not ideal in the worst drought in the city's history," City Councilman Paul Koretz said.
The flooding hit the part of campus that is home to its athletic facilities, with the greatest danger coming in a pair of parking structures that quickly began filling with water.
Firefighters, some using inflatable boats, saved at least five people who were stranded in the structures where more than 100 cars were stuck, city fire officials said. No injuries were reported.

L.A. City Councilman Felipe Fuentes cautioned that Angelenos shouldn’t jump to conclusions after the pipeline break. He said the city clearly needs more funding for its water infrastructure, but he rejected the idea that the Sunset Boulevard incident itself pointed to a need for a rate increase, saying it was too soon to tell what had gone wrong or how to fix it.


“I don’t think it’s a secret that we have a lot of old pipes and infrastructure,” said City Council President Herb Wesson, who planned to visit the break site Wednesday with Fuentes and Councilman Paul Koretz.

Wesson said it was too soon to say whether rate increases would be needed, or whether it was a mistake to not pursue a hike this year.

“I want to do this in a methodical and not a knee-jerk fashion,” Wesson said. “I’m too old for my knee to jerk.”

Sources: 

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Water-Main-Break-Floods-UCLA-Campus-Sunset-Boulevard-Closed-269200881.html

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ucla-water-main-flood-damage-liability-dwp-20140730-story.html