A water main has broken on the eastside of Long Beach today, sending hundreds of gallons of water into the street near the intersection of Espanita Street and Stevely Avenue. The 8-inch cast iron water main broke around 3:55am today, according to Matt Veeh of the Long Beach Water Department. This particular was built in 1959, so it is relatively old, and breaks on pipes such as these do occur rather frequently, usually causing very little damage.
Twenty-one homes have been affected and are currently without water. Veeh says that crews are trying to determine whether it is possible to simply clamp the break rather than extracting and replacing the entire pipe. A best case scenario would have water back to the area in a few hours; worst case sees water coming back this afternoon.
Recent major breaks in Los Angeles have drawn attention to the issue of pipe breaks. In the last ten years, the Long Beach Water Department has spent nearly $90 million in its effort to replace old water pipes throughout the city. The process involved using newer, stronger ductile iron pipes rather than traditional cast iron. Main breaks have decreased dramatically since the inception of the program.
Disclosure: The Long Beach Water Department is an advertiser of the lbpost.com.