Crews restore Santa Monica Blvd. after a false alarm with a pipeline leak

After a suspected pipeline leak was reported to the Metropolitan Water District on Friday, April 5, an excavation on Tuesday, April 9, determined it was a false alarm.

On April 9, MWD crews and contractors began excavation work on Santa Monica Boulevard for the Santa Monica Feeder Pipeline – a 24-mile water system that serves Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Burbank and Glendale – after in Beverly Hills a leak was suspected. However, on Wednesday, April 10, MWD said no leak had been discovered and the road was being repaired.

“After further investigation and excavation, crews confirmed that there was no leak in the Santa Monica Feeder as previously believed,” MWD spokeswoman Rebecca Kimitch said. “We are working to restore the road after excavation work. We expect the repairs to be completed by Friday morning.”

As work began on the morning of April 9, traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard between Moreno Drive and Charleville Boulevard was reduced to one lane in each direction to allow crew members access to the pipeline. The City of Beverly Hills and MWD urged residents and commuters to “allow more travel time and use alternative routes.”

The MWD said the suspected leak was reported by the City of Beverly Hills on Friday afternoon, April 5. Kimitch said the city created the report after noticing a “recurring depression on the streets.”

“The city noticed that the street was basically sinking,” Kimitch said. “There was no water visible, but they noticed the impact on the road.”

Kimitch added that the reported road subsidence “may have been caused by loose soils within the pipe trench, which may have been exacerbated by recent rainfall.”

Water supplies were not affected by the suspected leak or excavation.

Kimitch said the MWD is still working to determine the exact cause of the suspected leak.

Repairs to the suspected leak were originally scheduled to last until Saturday, April 13 at the earliest. The MWD now hopes to complete the reconstruction of the excavated road by Friday morning, April 12th. The existing traffic closures will remain in place until the work is completed.