By Robin GOLDSWORTHY

On Friday afternoon, Aug. 11, a little after noon, fire and law enforcement agencies and a crew from Crescenta Valley Water District responded to a water main break in the 3000 block of Montrose Avenue west of Ramsdell Avenue. The water came up through the street buckling it. The pipe was apparently installed in 1961, according to James Lee, CVWD interim general manager. Sheriff deputies were blocking vehicular traffic along Montrose Avenue though north/south traffic on Ramsdell and Pennsylvania avenues was not affected.

CVWD reported that the damage was caused due to a lateral split along the pipeline main. According to Lee, the repair plan included replacing about a 10 ft. section of the main.

Customers in the affected area were notified via text/email/phone that water would be shut off while repairs were done with the majority of service being restored at approximately 12:15 a.m. on Saturday morning.

A special consideration was made for the convalescent home in the shutdown area and a “hose-to-hose” connection was arranged for that property to ensure continuation of service, said Lee.

“The 2400-2700 blocks of Montrose were scheduled for replacement as part of our capital replacement program this year,” Lee said. “The impacted areas – 3000-3100 blocks of Montrose Avenue – were likely candidates for next year’s replacement program. The entire stretch along Montrose is a high-frequency problem area, and our data is starting to indicate that the material used in the 1960s may not have been the best material. There have been approximately five main breaks in the last three years, including one two weeks ago. The pipe was thin and very corroded, with barely anything left to be able to weld with. The repair was made, and the pipe burst again. This happened several times.”

Lee added that after demobilizing from the Montrose Avenue site and restoring access to the road, another leak was discovered in the 4900 block of El Sereno (the pipe was installed in 1983).

“A second crew was mobilized as this leak was large enough to require immediate attention,” he said. “The second leak was repaired and water returned to service at approximately 5:45 a.m. on Saturday morning.”