City Officials Urge Water Conservation Due To Water Main Break

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – City authorities are urging residents and visitors Tuesday to conserve water and avoid Sunset Boulevard Alpine Drive and Rexwood Drive as crews continue to work on repairing a water main break.

Emergency repairs are being made on a broken water main that supplies the city with most of its water; residents and businesses were asked to reduce their water use in the meantime.

Until further notice, eastbound Sunset Boulevard between North Rexwood Drive and North Alpine Drive is closed while one westbound remains open. Northbound Alpine Drive is also closed. Drivers should avoid the area and plan for added commute times until the roadway is open.

The break occurred early Sunday morning with the leak detected in the Metropolitan Water District's Santa Monica Feeder and repairs requiring the complete shutdown of the line, officials said. The shutdown leaves Beverly Hills without its primary source of water for about a week, both the city and MWD reported.

"We need the help of our residents. We're asking them to avoid watering their lawns and gardens, take shorter showers, avoid unnecessary loads of laundry and do whatever they can to keep their water use down," Beverly Hills Mayor Julian A. Gold said. "We know it's the holidays and it's a sacrifice, but we also know our residents are willing to pitch in and help when needed."

The Santa Monica Feeder, completed in 1941, spans 24 miles from Eagle Rock to Santa Monica and serves treated water to Glendale, Burbank, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. At the point where the leak occurred, the feeder is a 32-inch cast iron main, officials said.

The cause of the leak is still under investigation, according to Jim Green, the MWD's water system operations manager.

"We are working as quickly as we can to get this safely repaired so we can restore a reliable water supply to the people and businesses of Beverly Hills," he said.

City News Service contributed to this post; Image via Shutterstock