Water Main Break: Hollywood, Cal.

February 18th, 2015

Another 100 year-old water main came apart in Hollywood sometime last night.  After listening to the affected residents in the area who were interviewed on the news reports, it doesn’t appear that society saved any money by not proactively replacing this pipe/main/valve (or whatever) ahead of its catastrophic failure. 

Of course, I have heard of an untold number of water main failures across the nation since I have last blogged on the matter.  However, after seeing many cities and towns begin to replace and upgrade their water mains over the last few years, I have more-or-less been letting the matter slide. 

Nevertheless, this particular water main break in Hollywood is a perfect case-in-point to show that it is likely to be cheaper (less expensive) to proactively replace these systems than to wait to do so after any catastrophic failures – which was one of the original points and issues that brought this blog into existence.  Worth noting, Hollywood, California is in an earthquake zone.  So, to wait a 100 years or so before replacing any necessary infrastructure (which would be subject to failure/fatigue due to earthquakes) also seems as yet another perfect example of ineptitude and most likely an example of gross negligence as well.

See:  Pipe bursts, sending 100,000 gallons into Hollywood Hills neighborhood

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-water-main-break-floods-hollywood-hills-neighborhood-submerges-vehicles-20150218-story.html

Adam Trotter, PE  

Water Main Breaks in Studio City, Cal

November 9th, 2011

Studio City, California reportedly had "multiple" water main breaks a day or so ago. The massive amounts of water from the broken main flooded and closed streets and generally caused significant havoc to residents and motorists alike. The breaks were blamed on "old parts" - or something like that.

As I repeatedly blog:

REBUILD THE NATION’S INFRASTRUCTURE!!!

...Please?
Adam Trotter, P.E. / AVT


PS. I mean..., is the infrastructure under attack or is it really falling apart that quickly? Where are our politicians? Where are our tax dollars?

See:
Ventura Boulevard Flooded After Water Main Breaks in Studio City
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-studio-city-water-main-break,0,1326086.story

Water Main and Gas Main Breaks Continue…

June 9th, 2011



While significant amounts of work appears to be underway on many of the nation’s roadways, the gas main and water main systems seem to be in the same poor and antiquated conditions as always. During my limited travels, I have encountered water main breaks in Cambridge and Medford [among other breaks in] Massachusetts, Brighton New York, and a gas main break somewhere around the Fort Lee New Jersey area.

There are continually so many water main and gas main breaks in our nation that it is becoming difficult to locate the specific story information when searching for any given break – as there are so many reported breaks throughout the nation. Infrastructure failures such as these are becoming so common place that the news media sources are starting to not report on these matters. Don’t let anyone fool you, these types of catastrophic infrastructure failures can be dangerous in addition to being costly and inconvenient.


Rebuild nation’s infrastructure!!

Adam Trotter, P.E. / AVT




Crews battle water main break in Cambridge
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/boston/12004493543516/crews-battle-water-main-break-in-cambridge/



Water main break repaired in Cambridge
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/water-main-break-repaired-in-cambridge-25-apx-20110605




Massive water main break closes West Medford Square
http://www.wickedlocal.com/northofboston/features/x1595585542/Massive-water-main-break-closes-West-Medford-Square



Brighton residents clean up after broken water main break
http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S2124559.shtml?cat=566


Old Bridge street reopens following gas main break
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/old_bridge_street_reopens_foll.html


Garden State Parkway entrance ramp in Old Bridge remains closed following gas main break
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/gas_main_break_closes_garden_s.html

Oh Yea…., No Surprise: Another Water Main Break, This Time in Gloucester, Mass.

December 23rd, 2010


Oh yea, I almost forgot to blog this latest one that I heard. Not like it’s any surprise, but, there was another somewhat major water main break. This time the [un-] lucky town was Gloucester, Massachusetts. According to the reports of New England Cable News (NECN) of the A.M of December 21st, 2010 (as I recall), a water main broke in Gloucester causing the need for an order to be issued to boil drinking water and such mandated the closing of a public school – as the school then had no water to make lunches for the students, etc.

One has to wonder if the town had been in the process of replacing any of its, no doubt, antiquated water main system or if the water folks of that town merely wait for colossal failures before replacing any components of its water systems – in keeping with the apparent line of thought of most of the other water companies in our nation.

No school, no water, and surely no hot showers on the first day of winter. Is this what our taxes now pay for in this nation: unreliable and crumbling infrastructure systems? Apparently so, huh?


Adam Trotter P.E. / AVT

“Good Job” to WNYW Fox 5 Investigates: Nassau County, NY, Water Companies

December 20th, 2010

Two nights ago (Saturday), New York’s Fox Television Channel 5 investigated the status of New York’s Nassau County (Long Island) water companies. The investigation revealed well in excess of twenty water companies for this single New York county – a county that has one of the highest costs of living in the United States. As we all know, the public water companies are typically small government-sanctioned monopolies. And, as confirmed by a public watchdog group during the investigation, all these water companies are providing water to the county residents from the same water source. So, the investigation asked, why does Nassau county need more than twenty water companies for a single county especially when the water is all coming from the same source? Furthermore, the investigation displayed these water companies as being typically bastions of nepotism and apparently often an example of the wasting of government funds as well. For example, each of these water companies have a superintendent/director that makes $130,000 to $200,000 (+/-) per year plus tens of thousands in per diem expenses for attending meetings of the water company (per diem policies such as in keeping with the mode of corrupt, ousted, investigated, and recently arrested city officials from Bell, California).

As I have longed asked in this blog: what is with the dysfunctional manner of operations of the water systems in our nation, this Fox 5 Investigates has displayed the other side of the coin which clearly illuminates at least a potential reason why our public utilities are so screwed-up in our nation – at least assuming Nassau county is any example of what is happening in the rest of the nation.

“Thumbs up” and “good job” to WNYW’s Fox 5 Investigates for such a socially-relevant expose. The nation clearly needs more of these types of investigations for the current times in which we are trying to reign in our massive, expensive, and out of control government entities which seem to care little for the financial well-being of the taxpayer. Again, kudos to WNYW’s Fox 5 Investigates!


Adam Trotter, P.E. / AVT

Hottest Day Ever Recorded in Downtown L.A. 113 Degrees Fahrenheit Leaves Many Without Electricity in Sweltering Heat.

September 29th, 2010

Yesterday reportedly witnessed the highest temperature ever recorded in Downtown Los Angeles since temperatures have been recorded dating back to 1877. Today, it was widely reported that approximately 25,000 homes in the greater Los Angeles area are without electrical power as a result of the excessive heat of yesterday (including many of which in LA-DWP and SoCal Edison territories). I have not heard any reported or specific reasons for the excessive number of power outages. Also, I have yet to actually research the matter for specific reasons for the outages. However, I assume that the outages are due to the antiquated electrical power grid being over-taxed and faulty component failures.

Nevertheless, I wonder if the electrical grid is similar the municipal water systems that repeatedly fail throughout our nation. As with the water systems and water companies, we have small government-sanctioned monopolies which have been in business for a long time. Apparently, even though these monopolies have been getting paid for their efforts, they typically appear to have decided against making any significant capital upgrades or overall system improvements until the existing systems experience catastrophic failures.

Are we to suppose that the aging electrical grid of our nation is subject this same infrastructure logic as well? That is, where we have many government-blessed monopolies that prefer to pocket their earnings with minimal reinvestment shown to the electrical transmission system grid from which they make their earnings? Even if these sanctioned monopolies only maintain these systems and do not actually own them, why is it that they are typically immediately able to cover the costs of repairing catastrophic system failures but appear unable to proactively invest in the infrastructure to prevent catastrophic failures? I suspect because the utility companies would rather wait until a system fails before replacing any antiquated relics in the systems and claim that such makes better economic sense to do so. I, of course, would disagree with any such claimed economic sense that waits until a catastrophic failure to perform system upgrades.

I would counter with the following economic sense:

Maybe its time to rid the nation of these often-times ineffectual yet sanctioned monopolies that are blessed with special treatment from our governments and replace them with a better system. Maybe more competition (or something) is needed to ensure our utility systems are more rugged and operating regardless of the occasional catastrophic weather occurrences. As a result of the utility monopolies’ self-centered and short-sighted quest for profits, maybe the firms we know as our electrical and water companies (as with many other utilities) are, in fact, the true relics and antiques that require replacement; as the paradigms of these firms are what appear to actually impede utility system upgrades necessary to withstand any weather conditions to which the systems are subjected.


Adam Trotter / AVT