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The Benedict Canyon Water System Reliability Project has been completed ahead of schedule and under budget and was a moment for celebration recently. The major water infrastructure project was to have been completed on Nov. 30 and at an estimated savings of $1.8 million.
Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz (5th Council District) hailed the successfully completed project citing a well-coordinated effort between his office, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s (LADWP) Water System staff, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and other city agencies.
“I am very proud of the critical infrastructure project completed by LADWP personnel, in coordination and collaboration with my office, LADOT and multiple city agencies,” said Councilmember Koretz. “What was originally meant to be a nine month project, got completed in five months. Due to the mitigations implemented and strong pre-planning over the course of several months, the project has been one of the smoothest, fastest, ahead of schedule, under budget projects the City of Los Angeles has seen in years. Sincere thanks to our DWP crew members and Traffic Control Officers, who worked tirelessly to get these roads back open.”
The Benedict Canyon water project began in early 2018 with outreach to the local community to solicit feedback on issues involving traffic and local access that would occur throughout the project. Community outreach and the community’s input allowed LADWP and the rest of the project’s partners to tailor the construction plans to accommodate the needs of the local community and motorists. This included the placement of LADWP Security Services Officers and traffic control officers at several locations in Benedict Canyon and neighboring Deep Canyon to manage traffic in and around the project area.
The office of Councilmember Koretz worked closely with LADWP and facilitated and coordinated meetings and collaboration with several Los Angeles-area agencies and community groups to ensure that all local interests were represented and all concerns addressed including the Benedict Canyon Association, the LADOT, the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Bureau of Street Services and the Emergency Management Department as well as the Beverly Hills Department of Public Works and the Beverly Hills Police Department.
The Benedict Canyon Water Pipeline Replacement Project replaced 5,200 feet of pipeline with new 12-inch steel pipeline along Benedict Canyon Drive and south of Mulholland Drive to Hutton Drive. The original pipeline had been installed in the 1960s. New 8-inch steel pipeline was also installed along Liebe Drive and four new fire hydrants were also installed. This project will increase water system reliability in the area and improve the existing fire protection capabilities for the foreseeable future.
The Benedict Canyon Project, which began on May 1, is part of LADWP Water System’s efforts to upgrade the infrastructure throughout its service area. LADWP operates and maintains over 7,300 miles of water transmission and distribution pipes. The goal is to replace all the system’s pipes when its life expectancy expires. As part of the Water System’s strategic plan, almost 250 miles of pipe have been replaced since 2006 and distribution pipe replacement will increase for the next five years to 300,000 feet by 2023.
“We are very pleased that this challenging project went smoothly and was completed sooner than anticipated,” LADWP General Manager David H. Wright said. “It is a tribute to the dedication and professionalism of everyone involved, but it is also due to the patience and understanding demonstrated by local residents, commuters and community leaders during the construction period. This is yet another major step in improving the water system throughout the LADWP service area by replacing aging infrastructure.”
