Six separate water mains began leaking around the Fairfax district this morning, causing flooding and shutting down Third Street between Ogden Drive and Fairfax Avenue until 7 p.m., according to the Department of Water and Power.

The street closure was caused by an 8-inch main at Third Street and Fairfax Avenue that was installed in 1949. KTLA is reporting that part of Third Street buckled from the flooding.

LADWP says they have crews working on all of the leaks, which are related to work done Monday on the Lower Franklin Reservoir.

From a statement released by the department today:

“As part of regular inspection protocol, the reservoir is taken offline and temporarily replaced by a different source of water. Operational changes such as these can cause fluctuations in pressure and expose weaknesses in older main lines.”

All of the leaky water mains are more than 40 years old, and the oldest was installed way back in 1925.

The locations of the other five leaks are:

  • 900 block of Croft Avenue

  • 5800 block of La Mirada Avenue

  • 6000 block of Waring Avenue

  • 1100 block of N. McCadden Place

  • 300 block of N. Vista Street

    About 130 customers in the area are experiencing service problems because of the leaks, according to the LADWP.

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