Emergency Water Pipeline Leak Causes Coast Hwy. Traffic Backup

A leak in an underground water pipeline at one of Laguna Beach's busiest intersections caused a major traffic tie-up this morning.

A crew from the Laguna Beach County Water District was working on a planned valve maintainance operation early this morning at the intersection of Coast Hwy., Forest and Park, according to Rich Mathis, Operations Manager for the LBCWD. But around 2 a.m., a large and unexpected leak was discovered at the repair site, which meant that the job had to be extended throughout the day until an estimated 4 p.m. completion, hopefully just as the evening rush hour gets underway.

The extra work required a northbound lane of Coast Highway to be cordoned off, which backed traffic up enough for the city to issue an alert.

"If this had gone according to plan, they should have been out of there by 6 a.m., but we had to make the repair," Mathis tells Laguna Beach Patch. "It could have been leaking for awhile."

The site will be plated this evening, Mathis says, after the valve is replaced. A new hydrant will need to be installed next, which will happen Friday.

Mathis estimated that expenses for the emergency repair work will run an extra $20,000 on top of the previously budgeted $30,000 for the valve job.