Broken pipe turns into a hole other problem

Andrew Edwards

Repair crews were busy Monday with jackhammers and other heavy

equipment as they worked to fix a broken water line that opened a

hole in Newport Coast Drive.

The water main, which carried recycled water used for landscape

irrigation, ruptured Sunday night. On Monday, all northbound lanes of

Newport Coast Drive were closed from San Joaquin Hills Road to a spot

near Sage Hill School.

The school is closed through Friday for Spring Break.

Repairs were being handled by the Irvine Ranch Water District,

spokeswoman Marilyn Smith said. District officials hoped to reopen

the road by late today or Wednesday.

One lane may be reopened today, but likely not until after the

morning rush hour, Smith said.

However, a supervisor at the repair site, John Palomares, did not

provide a specific date when asked when the work would be completed.

“It’s going to take days, let’s put it that way,” Palomares said.

On Monday, workers had already dug out a deep hole around the

broken pipeline, exposing the damage. The high-pressure line had a

tennis-ball-sized hole and would have to be removed, Palomares said.

“Cutting the old one out is no problem; fitting the new one in and

welding it is going to take time,” he said.

Palomares added that he and his crew had not yet determined the

full extent of the damage. He said scratches on the pipe looked like

they had been caused by a backhoe, and he suspected the water line

was harmed during a previous project.

“It looks as if the line was damaged when they were installing a

conduit,” he said.

Repair work was being conducted on two areas of Newport Coast

Drive on Monday. Downhill from the water main, in front of the

driveway to Sage Hill School, another crew of water district

employees was taking out asphalt damaged by the water.

After bursting out of the pipeline, water traveled underneath the

pavement to an area of the street near the school, Smith said. The

water caused the asphalt to buckle, making it necessary to replace

some pavement.

Water service was expected to be restored before the road will be

reopened, Smith said. Water district officials planned to reroute

recycled water flows to restore service to affected customers by late

Monday.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at andrew.edwards

@latimes.com.