About 4 million L.A. County residents and businesses are being asked to suspend outdoor water use until September 20 while a “critical” pipeline is repaired.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) said a leak was spouting from a 36-mile “upper feeder” from the Colorado River pipeline and would take about 15 days to repair, hence the September 6 to September 20 timeline.

The L.A. County cities affected include Beverly Hills, Burbank, Glendale, Long Beach, Pasadena, San Fernando and Torrance, while also extending to areas covered by the Central Basin Municipal Water District, Foothill Municipal Water District, Three Valleys Municipal Water District and West Basin Municipal Water District— for a total of 80 cities.

mwd water map

Areas of L.A. County affected by the MWD outdoor water cutback. (MWD)

“The temporary fix we have in place has allowed us to operate the pipeline at a reduced capacity over the summer, but it is not intended to last long-term,” Metropolitan General Manager Adel Hagekhalil said in an August 30 press conference. “We cannot delay this repair any further – doing so risks a failure and the potential for an unplanned, emergency situation.”

While the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which sources the city of Los Angeles, receives some of its water from MWD, it will not be affected by the pipeline repair.

However, the city is still under a separate water conservation call to action that was enacted on June 1, with Angelenos being asked to limit their outdoor water use to twice a week.

The MWD noted that a two week water restriction will not kill lawns and as of this writing, is already 6% repaired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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