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Repairs Continue After Powerful Water Main Break Floods Portion Of UCLA Campus

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Crews were still working Monday to repair a massive water main break in Westwood which flooded the UCLA campus.

Repairs Continue After Powerful Water Main Break Floods Portion Of UCLA Campus
A massive water main break flooded the UCLA campus in Westwood and toppled two trees in the process. Aug. 23, 2020. (CBSLA)

Just after 1:30 a.m. Sunday, a 30-inch pipe ruptured in the 10600 block of West Sunset Boulevard, at Stone Canyon Road, sending hundreds of thousands of gallons of water gushing down the street.

The flow of water was so powerful it toppled two trees and flowed down Sunset Boulevard towards the UCLA campus.

About 10 cars on the school campus were flooded. However, firefighters were able to divert the water flow from housing and residential structures. The school used sandbags to protect nearby Pauley Pavilion. A campus underground parking garage was flooded.

It took more than five hours for Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews to get the water shut off.

LADWP told CBSLA that the break occurred on a different 30-inch pipe than the one which burst back in July of 2014, also flooding the campus at the time and damaging hundreds of cars. Sunday's break occurred on a pipe which had been built in 1951, officials said.

Repairs Continue After Powerful Water Main Break Floods Portion Of UCLA Campus
A massive water main break flooded the UCLA campus in Westwood and toppled two trees in the process. Aug. 23, 2020. (CBSLA)

Sunset Boulevard was shut down in both directions all day Sunday between Veteran and Hilgard avenues, but had reopened one lane in both directions early Monday morning.

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