VENTURA : Water Pipe Rupture Leaks 20,000 Gallons

An 8-inch-wide pipe connecting a fire hydrant to a major water line cracked in Ventura Thursday and leaked 20,000 gallons of water.

The water loss is about 0.1% of the amount the city uses each day, said John Mundy, water superintendent for the city of Ventura. Residents experienced no interruption of service as a result of the break.

City officials discovered the leak from the pipe at Olivas Park Drive and Golf Course Road about 8:30 a.m., Mundy said.

It took officials 10 minutes to shut off the valve and disconnect the flow of water from a 18-inch-wide pipeline to the smaller pipe. The large pipeline delivers water from wells at the golf course to a reservoir above Telegraph Avenue.

Originally, city officials feared that the 18-inch line had cracked and warned that the break might take eight to 12 hours to fix and result in the loss of 4 million gallons of water.

The 30-year-old cast-iron pipe became brittle with age and cracked, Mundy said. The fire hydrant will be abandoned and a new line and hydrant will be installed.