Crime & Safety
Faulty Valve Causes Water Leak in Neighborhood
Crews are assigned to fix the valve at a pumping station in the Hollywood Hills.
A faulty valve triggered a discharge from a pumping station tank in the Hollywood Hills Friday morning, causing some flooding in nearby streets.
The 750,000-gallon tank at the Department of Water and Power pumping station at 1543 Blue Jay Way was first reported leaking at 1:08 a.m., said Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Tom Sammartano. Four firefighters were sent to the scene, said department spokesman Erik Scott.
The leak was caused by a malfunctioning valve, DWP spokeswoman Jane Galbraith said.
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"The water system is high in the hills of Hollywood, so to deliver water, you pump it into the tank," Galbraith said.
"The valve tells you when the tank is at capacity," she said. "There's an overflow valve. If it's not communicating with the tank, the water just continues to flow until it overflows."
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The water was turned off by a DWP crew by 4 a.m., she said. Another crew was assigned to fix the valve this morning.
The disabled pumping station normally "works like a charm. This was a very unusual occurrence," she said.
No damage was reported, according to Galbraith, who said she did not know how much water leaked out of the tank.
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