Thousands of San Fernando Valley residents stay without flushing as crews continue to repair emergency repairs with broken underground valves. Officials have warned that the suspension could continue through the weekend.
According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the valve, which supplies water to more than 9,000 customers on Porter Ranch and Granada Hills, failed during repair work last Tuesday at a pump station connected to a 10 million gallon tank.
“The infrastructure in LA is aging, some of which are over 80 years old,” said a LADWP spokesman. “We’re replacing it as soon as possible, but these things happen.”
Originally, repairs were expected to be completed by Friday, but ongoing complications have been slow to progress. Temporary solutions are currently underway, including hundreds of feet of flexible plumbing rerouting water from nearby water districts. However, authorities say the main tank must be refilled before households look at tap water again.
In the meantime, residents are being urged to keep their faucets closed and suspend use of irrigation systems and refill tanks. “It’s appealing to see if the water is flowing again,” an official at LADWP said, “But all open valves slow down recovery.”
Frustration is growing among residents who have been there for days without basic utility.
“It was really tough,” the local mother told KTLA. “I had to check in at the hotel because I had kids. There was no toilet or shower.
To help affected residents, the city has set up several water distribution sites offering free bottled water, portable showers, hand washing stations and even mobile laundry units. These centres are open daily from 7am to 9pm
Distribution locations are as follows:
Omerveny Park on Granada Hills Tampa Avenue and Holly Belson Memorial Park (Shower and Laundry Unit) Omerveny Park on Tampa Avenue and Sethnon Boulevard
In areas where water services have returned, residents are receiving boiling water advice until further notice. The recommendation is expected to be effective for several days as crews monitor water quality.
For now, many people just want peace of mind – and the answer.
“It’s 2025. We live in California,” one resident said. “We have to change something.”
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