Water main break creates sinkhole in Hollywood Hills neighborhood
A water main break caused a sinkhole to form in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood early Monday morning.
The 8-inch water main broke before 1 a.m. on Cahuenga Terrace, near Cahuenga Boulevard, on the opposite side of the 101 Freeway from the Hollywood Bowl. At one point a river of water was flowing down Cahuenga Boulevard towards the freeway onramp.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews responded and quickly shut down the water. There was no major flooding or damage to nearby buildings. However, the break did create a sinkhole measuring about 10-feet wide and 5-feet deep.
The break also left mud and debris at the 101 Freeway onramp. Although Cahuenga Terrace was shut down, but the freeway onramp remained open.
There was no immediate word on what exactly caused the break. At least 16 LADWP customers in the area were without service, which was not expected to be restored until 3 p.m.
Ben Floor told CBSLA Monday that he heard the sound of rushing water outside his door and immediately knew what had happened, because it has occurred several times before along this stretch of Cahuenga Boulevard. In January, a water main break flooded the entrance and exit to the 101 freeway. An Uber car had to be towed, after stalling in the high water.
"Unfortunately, I thought, 'not again,'" Floor said. "This happens way too often around here."
This has been the first break to this specific water main, which was installed back in 1931. LADWP tells CBSLA that a second 12-inch main along Cahuenga Boulevard has already broken three times. Although the city has prioritized replacing the pipes, there is no estimated date on when that will happen.
Floor said a previous water main break damaged his car so badly it was declared a total loss.
"There's some vehicles down here I think that are probably going to have some real damage, it looked like the water was up in their undercarriage, probably in their electronics," Floor said. "That's what happened with ours, we had water inside our car."
