Water Main Break Floods Section of Valleyheart Drive

Just after 7 p.m. Sunday a water main under the intersection of Valleyheart Drive and Colbath Avenue in Sherman Oaks burst, and within minutes both streets were flooded as the water came gushing up to the surface.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power emergency crews  shut down a 150-yard section of the water main in the 13900 block of Valleyheart Drive, between  Colbath and Stern avenues. The crews blocked-off the section to traffic, due to the depth of the water, which rose above the gutters and onto the sidewalks.

"What the hell happened?" asked resident Victor McGrath after parking his car a block away and making his way down the wet pavement.

"The system is old; one of the pipes probably broke," said Steve Arriola, the DWP supervisor on the scene. "I won't know exactly what happened until we get down there and take a look at the situation."

Residents of the flooded streets said they were surprised by the break  because DWP crews have been working in the area for several weeks.

Arriola said the crews that the residents have seen on the job have been trying to upgrade the system. "This is happening in many places because there's a lot of work that needs to be done on this old system," Arriola said.

Valleyheart is a busy commuter street during rush hour.

"We'll be working all night to stop the flooding and hope to have Valleyheart open by morning," said Arriola.