- A 110-year-old trunk line ruptured in West Hollywood, spilling 17 million gallons and closing Sunset Boulevard.
- More than 30% of DWP's mainlines are over 80 years old; 6% are rated D or F for failure risk.
- A 2018 assessment found more than half of trunk lines are over 65 years old, and 11% exceed 100 years.
- The utility prioritizes pipe replacements based on age, leak history, and consequence of failure.
- Two other water main breaks in Studio City and Hollywood disrupted water to about 130 customers.
- LA's $8-billion, five-year capital plan still struggles to keep pace with decaying infrastructure.
The Los Angeles water system is so old—and replacement funds so scarce—that officials are forced into a dangerous game of triage. A recent rupture in West Hollywood shows the high cost of delay.
Rupture in West Hollywood: A Wake-Up Call
On July 17, 2026, a 110-year-old riveted steel trunk line—a 36-inch artery—burst under Sunset Boulevard, releasing an estimated 17 million gallons of water. The flood created a massive sinkhole, shut down the iconic boulevard, flooded homes and businesses, and damaged underground parking. It was the largest leak in Los Angeles in years. The pipe was installed in 1916, the year Woodrow Wilson was re-elected and the Battle of Verdun raged in World War I.
"It looked like a tsunami," said Mohua Roy, a West Hollywood resident affected by the flooding. "My daughter's friend thought it was water from the ocean."
Inside one underground parking garage, the damage remains visible. A water line marks where floodwaters rose, while at least 40 vehicles remain covered in mud and debris. Some residents are still dealing with power outages as cleanup continues. Three days after the break, more than 200 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power workers remained on-site, restoring the damaged line and completing testing before service can fully return. Officials originally hoped to reopen the intersection near Sunset Boulevard by Monday, but that timeline has been pushed back. No updated reopening date has been announced.
LADWP officials urged residents and businesses near the break to conserve water. Mayor Karen Bass and LADWP Interim General Manager David W. Hanson asked customers along Sunset Boulevard between Larrabee Street and Olive Drive to reduce water use after the 36-inch water main ruptured. While drinking water remains safe, some customers particularly those in taller buildings reported reduced water pressure. According to LADWP, water service is being maintained through an 8-inch pipe while the damaged transmission main remains out of service. Crews are adjusting system operations to restore pressure while minimizing additional disruptions. Repair work involves removing approximately 195,000 gallons of water from the isolated 0.7 mile section of the pipeline before crews can secure the site, shore the excavation area and assess the extent of the damage. Officials said crews will continue working around the clock until repairs are complete and affected roads can safely reopen. 'As LADWP crews continue to work urgently to remove water to repair the pipe rupture in West Hollywood, people should avoid the area and conserve water as some may experience a loss of water pressure,' Bass said in a statement. Claims representatives have also been deployed on-site to assist residents and businesses affected by the incident.
Tadeh Ghazalian, owner of Dialog restaurant near the rupture, described the damage as "catastrophic." "This is catastrophic," Ghazalian said, adding that he had no idea when he’ll be able to put employees back to work and serve customers again.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman linked the failure to the system's age, telling NBC Los Angeles, "this is a 110-year-old pipe that we have not been able to update and infrastructure is badly needed."
Just days later, on July 23, another leak occurred nearby at Santa Monica Boulevard and Laurel Avenue, underscoring the system’s fragility.
The rupture also caused a serious injury to a local businessman. RJ Holguin, owner of My 12 Step Store and RJDesign LA, suffered a life-altering spinal cord injury after falling on a wet, muddy street left in the wake of the water main break. After learning his building's garage had flooded, Holguin retrieved his car and parked it near his business. Hours later, around 11:30 p.m., he was walking through a marked crosswalk on Santa Monica Boulevard when he spotted a car approaching that he believed might not stop. He jumped backward to avoid the vehicle but lost his footing on what he told the WeHo Times was a wet, muddy roadway. Holguin said he immediately felt "an electric shock" shoot through his body before blacking out. When he regained consciousness, he reportedly struggled to speak and had little feeling in his hands. Doctors later determined he had suffered injuries to the C3 through C6 vertebrae that allegedly compressed his spinal cord, causing central cord syndrome, a condition that can rob patients of movement and sensation, particularly in the hands and arms. After surgery, Holguin was transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation unit, where he is undergoing physical and speech therapy. "It's a challenge and a struggle, but I made some good progress," he told KTLA. "It's going to be a slow progress back, but I will get there." The injury dealt another crushing blow to Holguin, who had already spent years recovering from a previous vocal cord injury. "It set me back almost 16 years of work trying to repair the damage that had been done previously," he said. Despite the setback, Holguin said he's grateful to have survived and thankful for the support from friends, loved ones and the West Hollywood community. City crews spent days repairing the damage from the infrastructure failure before reopening Sunset Boulevard to traffic on July 24. The water main break was followed by a smaller, unrelated pipe leak on Santa Monica Boulevard on July 23, though officials said additional lane closures will still be needed for permanent repaving.
Just days later, on July 23, another leak occurred nearby at Santa Monica Boulevard and Laurel Avenue, underscoring the system’s fragility.
A Series of Breaks
The West Hollywood rupture was not the only water main failure reported in recent days. A water main broke in Boyle Heights last Sunday, followed by three additional breaks over the weekend — one in Hollywood and two in Venice. In Studio City, an 8-inch main break sent water across a street and cut service to about 60 customers. The Hollywood break, also an 8-inch main, interrupted water for roughly 70 customers while crews worked on repairs. In total, at least five water main breaks have been reported across the region in the past week. "It's so crazy. Oh my God," one resident said. "It's like we're living in Revelation."
Residents say the recent failures highlight concerns about aging pipes throughout the city. "I think there are probably a lot of 110-year-old pipes across L.A. that need to be looked at right now," said Ted Gagliano, a concerned resident. "We need to be fixing some pipes," added resident Yoonj Kim. For some residents, the focus is now shifting from the damage above ground to the infrastructure buried below. "The city needs to do so much more for the infrastructure here," Gagliano said. "It's our city. They've got to take care of it."
LADWP crews continue pressure testing the repaired West Hollywood pipeline, checking for leaks and ensuring water quality standards are met before the line returns to full operation.
The State of the System
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) oversees a vast network of mains and trunk lines, many installed in the early 1900s. The utility operates roughly 6,800 miles of pipes between 4 inches and 20 inches in diameter, plus an additional 570 miles of larger trunk pipes. More than 30% of mainlines are over 80 years old—a stark contrast to the 3.7% of L.A. County’s human population that is 80 or older. A 2015 analysis found about 6% of water mains received failing grades (D or F) based on likelihood of failure and consequences. Trunk lines fare slightly better—less than 1% rated D or F in 2022. A 2018 assessment found that more than half of trunk line segments were over 65 years old, and 11% were more than a century old.
Why Pipes Fail
Experts cite age, corrosive soil, and pressure changes from serving hillside neighborhoods. The Westside, where the West Hollywood and 2014 Westwood ruptures occurred, has the highest number of leaks over the past decade. Both areas had pipes older than 100 years.
However, as DWP’s water systems chief Anselmo Collins noted, "Age is not the only factor." USC engineering professor Lucio Soibelman added, "You can look at a 100-year-old pipe and the pipe is in perfect condition." Factors such as soil compaction and water table variables also wear down a pipe’s structural integrity, Soibelman said. Nevertheless, Soibelman noted that DWP "does pretty well" in managing its aging infrastructure. Soibelman also emphasized the broader challenge: "It’s a very difficult problem, and society as a whole is not investing enough money in infrastructure ... especially water infrastructure."
DWP's Triage Approach
With limited budget and manpower, DWP assigns letter grades to water mains and prioritizes replacements for the riskiest segments. Sometimes, the utility can get to a pipe before it fails, but as West Hollywood discovered this month, sometimes the pipes rupture well before help can arrive. This fiscal year, the utility plans to replace about 240,000 feet of mainline (roughly 45 miles), including 33% rated high priority, 54% high-moderate priority, and 13% moderate priority, according to the utility. The new pipes are built to last as long as 150 years. Additionally, DWP anticipates replacing 6,047 feet (about 1.15 miles) of trunk line across the city this fiscal year, but plans to accelerate replacement of high-risk trunk lines to 5 miles annually within the next four years. The utility has not specified how it plans to fund such a ramp-up of projects. But even with an $8-billion, five-year capital plan, officials admit they cannot outpace the decay. "Even with unlimited funding… we can only do so much," a DWP spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times. DWP officials concede they are hampered by budget restraints, manpower limitations, long project timelines and the sizable footprint of the repairs needed.
Mayor Karen Bass said the failures reflect broader citywide issues connected to aging infrastructure. "This is one of the challenges when our infrastructure is so old. It's my understanding that these pipes are over a hundred years old," Bass said, as reported by NBC Los Angeles.
Some experts argue the replacement efforts should have begun decades earlier. Loyola Marymount University engineering professor Joseph Reichenberger said, "They should have started this about 40 or 50 years ago."
Local California Context
West Hollywood, a densely populated city within Los Angeles County, relies on DWP infrastructure. The recent rupture on Sunset Boulevard—a major regional artery—disrupted traffic and commerce for days. Residents and businesses face ongoing uncertainty as repairs continue.
Background
The challenge is not unique to Los Angeles. Many U.S. cities battle aging water systems installed at the turn of the 20th century. In 2014, a more than 100-year-old pipe burst near UCLA, sending approximately 10 million gallons of water and flooding buildings, causing millions in damage. That incident, like the West Hollywood break, underscored the fragility of century-old infrastructure.
In a related development, California received $27.5 million in federal funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to find and replace toxic lead pipes that deliver water to homes, announced May 22, 2026.
Conclusion
Los Angeles is running a constant race to replace its oldest pipes before they fail. While DWP invests billions, the scale of the problem means that major ruptures—like the West Hollywood flood—will likely continue. Residents should stay informed about local water infrastructure projects and be prepared for potential disruptions.
The system experiences water leaks daily, though most are minor and go unnoticed.
But even with an $8-billion, five-year capital plan, officials admit they cannot outpace the decay. "Even with unlimited funding and human resources, we can only do so much work so as not to severely overburden our local communities with impacts to traffic and interruptions to local residents and businesses," a DWP spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times. DWP officials concede they are hampered by budget restraints, manpower limitations, long project timelines and the sizable footprint of the repairs needed.
Adding to the challenge, inspecting aging pipes is not straightforward. "In order to even inspect it, you'd have to dig it up and then you're only going to see the outside. But to look at the inside, you need to put a TV camera down or something else. You can't do that with a water line that's flowing full," said Joseph Reichenberger, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Loyola Marymount University, as reported by NBC Los Angeles.