LADWP Rate Hike Alert: How Much Your Los Angeles Power & Water Bills Could Rise in 2025

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) crews are racing to restore service after a subterranean valve failure drained a 10-million-gallon tank that normally supplies roughly 9,200 customers in Granada Hills and Porter Ranch. The breakdown—24 feet underground at a critical pump station—cut pressure to neighborhood pipes early Wednesday, 6 August, triggering an urgent boil-water notice and an appeal to conserve while emergency pumps reroute supplies from the Metropolitan Water District. How the outage unfolded • Tuesday afternoon, repair crews discovered the 54-inch valve would not reopen after routine maintenance. • By 7 a.m. Wednesday the storage tank had emptied, leaving taps dry or sputtering across a four-square-mile area bounded by Rinaldi St., Balboa Blvd., De Soto Ave. and the Santa Susana foothills. • Excavation to reach the valve is expected to take 14-16 hours before permanent repairs begin; full restoration is targeted for Friday morning, 8 August, weather permitting. What residents should do now 1. Boil all tap water for at least one minute before drinking, cooking, brushing teeth or making ice. 2. If boiling is impossible, disinfect clear water with eight drops of unscented household bleach per gallon (16 drops if cloudy), mix well and let stand 30 minutes. 3. Suspend outdoor irrigation, dishwashers and laundry cycles until LADWP issues an all-clear. Where to pick up safe water LADWP has opened three 7 a.m.–7 p.m. distribution sites offering bottled water, mobile showers, laundry stations and portable toilets: • Holleigh Bernson Memorial Park, 20500 Sesnon Blvd. • O’Melveny Park, 17300 Sesnon Blvd. • Tampa Ave. & Sesnon Blvd. (Northridge/Porter Ranch intersection) Cooling centers with restrooms are also available at city recreation centers and public libraries as valley temperatures hover in the mid-90s. Why quick action matters When pressure drops, contaminants can infiltrate cracked joints and household plumbing, raising the risk of gastrointestinal illness. LADWP is collecting bacteriological samples and will lift the advisory only after two consecutive clean tests. Citywide response Mayor Karen Bass says specialized contractors are installing high-capacity pumps to refill the depleted trunk line; if successful, water could begin returning within 24–48 hours. The Los Angeles Fire Department has stationed tankers in the region to maintain firefighting capability, while LAPD increases patrols around temporarily unmanned homes. How to track updates • Sign up for outage alerts at LADWP.com/outages. • Follow @LADWP on X (Twitter) and Facebook. • Call 1-800-DIAL-DWP to report low pressure or leaks. Looking ahead LADWP engineers will analyze why the valve failed and whether aging infrastructure elsewhere poses similar risks. Residents can expect heightened inspection activity around pump stations citywide over the next few months. Key takeaways for SEO readers • LADWP water outage 2025 affects Granada Hills & Porter Ranch • Boil-water notice in Los Angeles during August heatwave • Emergency water pickup locations and repair timeline • How to safely purify tap water at home • Mayor Bass, Metropolitan Water District aiding rapid restoration Stay tuned: the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will issue its next update once laboratory tests confirm water quality and crews finish replacing the damaged 54-inch valve.