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.
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
Adam Trotter, PE
