Exclusive | LAs 100-year-old water mains are bursting councilmember blames years of neglect

Thousands of miles of century-old pipes in desperate need for repair run under the streets of Los Angeles, making the threat of another catastrophic water main burst a frightening reality.The explosion under Sunset Boulevard this week has become the latest warning that Los Angeles’ aging infrastructure is reaching a breaking point.The disaster sent 17 millions of gallons rushing through the streets of West Hollywood — destroying homes, cars and businesses.City leaders caution similar failures will continue unless decades of deferred maintenance happens.“For 50 years we’ve effectively been kicking the can down the road on maintenance, deferring and deferring until everything is breaking,” Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky told The California Post.LA has approximated 7,400 miles of pipes running under its streets.

Approximately 30% of those pipes are more than 80 years old, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.Yaroslavsky helps oversee Los Angeles’ roughly $15 billion annual budget as chair of the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee, and has repeatedly warned the city must invest in its aging infrastructure before small problems become costly disasters.The Sunset Boulevard rupture this week involved a 36-inch riveted steel trunk line installed in 1916 — the same year Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States.“Our infrastructure just isn’t built for what we’re facing, and it’s old,” Yaroslavsky added. LADWP replaces about 45 miles of aging pipeline each year, but with thousands of miles still in service, officials acknowledge it will take decades to modernize the entire system.LADWP earmarked $803.8 million in its 2026-27 budget to modernize its aging water system, including $590.1 million to replace deteriorating water mains and $213.7 million for repairs and maintenance.LADWP responds to three or four water main breaks per day, according to its website.The city also faces an estimated $4 billion backlog...