PCH pipe repairs choke traffic; Malibu urged to conserve water Play

Repairs continue on the only big pipe that brings water out to Topanga and to Malibu. Construction crews are blocking two of the three lanes in each direction on PCH near Temescal Canyon Road.

That means only one lane heading into Santa Monica Friday morning below Sunset, where there are normally three, and only one lane heading out toward Malibu, where the three lanes narrow to two.

Malibu residents are still being asked to conserve water in every way possible, particularly by turning off outdoor sprinklers. Before the pipe had to be shut down Thursday, Waterworks District 29 engineers topped off local storage tanks. Then they had to shut down the only pipe supplying Malibu.

Witnesses tell KBUU the big pipe sprang a leak Thursday morning. At 9 a.m. Thursday there was a river of water flowing out onto PCH near the Sunset/Temescal stretch.

KBUU reporter Diane Laetz described the scene: near Temescal it was down to one lane in the westbound lanes for a very short distance, and as traffic built up it was expected to back up badly. Caltrans overnight work at Coastline had wrapped up by morning with all lanes reopened.

Malibu is relying on local water storage right now — about a two-day supply — and the urgent request is for residents to conserve.