Boyle Heights sewer line breaks, causes sinkhole
A ruptured sewer line that caused a sinkhole to open up in Boyle Heights on Friday morning will take several days to repair, officials said.
Workers from the city's Department of Public Works managed to capture sewage that had spilled into storm drains before it reached the Los Angeles River, a department spokesperson said.
Firefighters responded around 8:15 Friday morning to a report of a large sinkhole at 6th Street and Mission Road.
A 33-inch brick and concrete sewer line had collapsed, causing the cavern to open up in the street, according to the L.A. Department of Public Works, which is in charge of repairs. The section of sewer line is 95 years old.
Paul Gomez, a spokesman for the department, confirmed repairs could take a week to 10 days.
Although rain is forecast in the coming days, it is not expected to complicate the repair work, , Gomez said.
No one was injured by the sinkhole, but authorities had a vehicle pulled away over concerns it was at risk of falling in and hitting gas lines as the hole expanded, firefighters said.
A repair crew was working to build a bypass for the sewer, remove water and debris, and make repairs to the line, the Department of Public Works said.
Repairs are estimated to cost $400,000 to $1 million, the department said.
"Roughly 2,000 [to] 3,000 gallons are estimated to have overflowed from the sewer," the department said.
Staff sandbagged sewer drains and worked to capture sewage from the storm drains before it reached the Los Angeles River, the department said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
