Around 9 a.m. on Sunday, June 26, a city water pressure valve at the intersection of S. Citrus Ave and W. 4th Street did exactly what it was designed to do, and reacted to a buildup of excessive water pressure in city pipes by dramatically gushing water all over the intersection.
The release, which lasted for a couple of hours before DWP crews were able to stop it, sent thousands of gallons of water spewing down the streets of the La Brea-Hancock neighborhood, where – ironically – several homes were taking part in a tour of drought-tolerant gardens and landscaping, sponsored by the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council.
The wasted water didn’t go unnoticed by local homeowners, several of whom captured as much as they could in buckets to water their plants.
According to Barbara Savage, president of the La Brea-Hancock Homeowners’ Association, as people reduce water usage and use devices to restrict water flow, as is necessary in our current drought, it actually increases water pressure in the mains that carry water to our homes.  That pressure often can break old water mains…but in this case, the release valve did its job and helped relieved the pressure buildup before a main was broken.  The result was messy…but much less hard to repair, and much less inconvenient for nearby residents, than a broken main would have been.