Water Main Break Closes Part of Crenshaw Boulevard in Torrance

About 81,000 gallons of water spilled from the pipe early Tuesday morning

A section of road was closed in Torrance Tuesday morning after an overnight water main break that required repair work into the afternoon.

The break occurred in an 8-inch pipe at about 2 a.m. on Crenshaw Boulevard, which was closed from 178th to 181st streets. Crews began excavation under the street surface at about 5 a.m. in preparation for a pipe replacement.

Service was restored at about 10:30 a.m.

About four breaks have occurred along that section of pipe in the last four years, according to Torrance utility officials. About 81,000 gallons of water spilled from the 60-year-old pipe Tuesday morning, according to the department.

"It's either corrosion or soil conditions, we don't know," said Andy Darlak, Water Services supervisor. "It could just be an old pipe. There's a small split, and once a small split goes it gets bigger and bigger."

Another water main break was reported overnight in South Los Angeles.

The breaks follow a rupture in the San Fernando Valley community of Encino Monday that flooded a neighborhood and damaged a section of a residential street. Los Department of Water and Power crews shut off water to the area.

No interior flooding was reported, but water flowed into several back yards.

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