LADWP Replaces Critical Valve in Granada Hills as Part of Ongoing Infrastructure Improvement Program

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LADWP crews lower a new pipe section with two valves into place as part of an infrastructure upgrade in the Granada Hills area.

LOS ANGELES (March 9, 2026) - Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) crews successfully completed a major water infrastructure improvement project with the installation of two new valves in Granada Hills. These new 48-inch valves replace the 24-inch valve that was removed in August 2025 during the Granada Hills-Porter Ranch outage, marking a key milestone in LADWP's ongoing valve replacement program and an example of LADWP's commitment to investing in L.A.'s water reliability and resiliency.

Launched in 2009, LADWP's Large Valve Program has replaced more than 80 valves to date, with additional valve replacement work executed as part of trunk line upgrades and other water system projects. With this valve replacement project, LADWP has reached and exceeded its goal for fiscal year 2025-2026 to replace at least five large valves per fiscal year.

"These new valves put the finishing touches on our efforts to resolve the Granada Hill-Porter Ranch water outage emergency in August 2025 and build additional redundancy and reliability in our city's water infrastructure," said Anselmo Collins, LADWP Chief Operating Officer and Senior Assistant General Manager - Water System.

The two new 48-inch valves were installed by LADWP's Large Valve Crew within the Van Norman Complex in Granada Hills, with crews working overnight in cold conditions from Friday, February 20 through Saturday, February 21 to complete the installation as quickly and safely as possible. Completing the work required a temporary shutdown for the 54-inch Susana Trunk Line, the main water supply line for the Granda Hills area -an effort that demands significant coordination.

"This installation could not have been accomplished without the skill, experience, determination and teamwork of our Large Valve Crew," said John Cox, Director of Water Distribution. "These dedicated professionals continually rise to the occasion no matter how difficult the conditions or circumstances happen to be."

To reduce the number of customers affected by the water shutoff, the team scheduled the installation during an overnight window when demand for water in the system was at its lowest. Crews also developed a contingency plan that involved the installation of two mobile inter-system pumps prior to the outage to ensure there was a backup supply of water in case of any construction delays.

More information on LADWP's planned investments to make L.A.'s water system more resilient and ensure the reliability of L.A.'s drinking water is available in LADWP 2025-26 Water Infrastructure Plan