Water Main Break Causes Large Sink Hole On Encino Street

ENCINO (CBSLA.com) — A water main broke late Monday morning, causing a large sinkhole in a San Fernando Valley street.

Despite crews working into the evening hours, many residents were still without water well into the night.

"It was crazy, it gives you a healthy respect for the strength of water," resident Toni Lewis said.

The 16-inch cast iron pipe, which was installed in 1948, broke around 10:30 a.m. in 17000 block of Karen Drive in Encino, the Department of Water and Power said.

Crews were able to reduce water flow to a "trickle" around 12:15 p.m., officials said, but not before causing major damage to Karen Drive, which at one point had an 8-foot-deep sinkhole full of swirling water in the middle of the street.

"It just breaks my heart," resident Linda Phillips said. "I mean, it is like right in front of my house, you know. You see this on TV, you do not expect for it to happen to you."

Approximately 100 customers were without water, but the DWP had expected to have water service resumed by 10 p.m. This was not the case.

At least two homes sustained damage "with water flow into neighborhood yards and pools also reported," DWP spokesman Joe Ramallo said.

Ramallo added there are about three water main breaks daily in the 7,200 miles of pipes across the city.

"My big concern is not creating a contamination to the water," DWP's Mike Nine said.

The street was expected to be closed until Friday.