A day after the break, the L.A. Department of Water and Power issued a notice<\/a> to boil water in parts of Porter Ranch and Granada Hills, advising that failing to do so \u201ccould result in stomach or intestinal illness.\u201d<\/p>\n By Friday morning, many customers saw their water restored<\/a>, but DWP urged even those with water in their taps to stop using it. While crews are digging a deep pit to reach and repair the broken valve, others are working to fill and pressurize a large water tank that serves the area. However, the pressure dropped overnight as residents went about their business. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are very concerned that if people continue to use the water that is coming out of their faucets today, it is going to delay the ability of the [Los Angeles Department of Water and Power] to get the line back and restored, and for your use of water to be back to normal, so that you don\u2019t have to boil water, so that you don\u2019t have to conserve,\u201d L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said during a press conference on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n On Aug. 6, DWP crews at Porter Ranch Drive and Rinaldi Street in Porter Ranch were pumping water into the distribution system to help with water demand. The goal is to fix the system by the early morning of Aug. 11.<\/p>\n (Al Seib \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n \u201cI know after two days of not having water, when we see that water sort of start trickling into our faucets, that we think all is okay, but in fact we need to build up that pressure,\u201d said L.A. City Councilmember John Lee.<\/p>\n DWP general manager Janisse Qui\u00f1ones said the city wants to restore the system by 3.a.m on Monday \u201cbut that is very dependent on the pressure.\u201d <\/p>\n As of 1:30 pm on Saturday, a 10-million-gallon tank serving the area was about 20% full. Less than seven hours earlier, the tank was estimated to be 27% full<\/a>. She blamed consumption.<\/p>\n The tank has lost an equivalent of one million gallons during high demand periods, Qui\u00f1ones said, \u201cthe equivalent of 776,000 toilet flushes.\u201d<\/p>\n Some people in the afflicted neighborhoods claim not everyone is following the advisory to lay off the taps.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere I\u2019m at, they\u2019re not adhering to the rules,\u201d area resident Robert Morris told KTLA 5<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019re still watering the grass. They\u2019re making it hard on them. They\u2019re trying to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n Several restaurants in the area reported on social media that they were staying open, relying on bottled water and other beverages, and outside deliveries of ice. <\/p>\n Qui\u00f1ones said her agency is working to identify the businesses that are fed by the damaged system.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ones that are open have been cleared that they\u2019re being fed by another system that is not impacted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Shortly after city officials pleaded for residents to save water, a coupling on a temporary pipe rigged to usher water into the struggling system failed. A gusher of water spurted into the air and down a street<\/a> in Granada Hills<\/p>\n To start replacing the broken valve, DWP crews had intended to begin emptying the water from the pipe at 8 p.m. on Saturday. The pipe blew out before that happened, according to a news release.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, the manner in which it was drained this evening is not ideal, and was unfortunate,\u201d said Jessie Johnson, a spokesperson for DWP.<\/p>\n The blowout will delay repairs, but likely by hours rather than days, she said.<\/p>\n The water saga began Tuesday, as crews worked on a pump station that connects to the water tank that serves the area. A water control valve broke and failed to reopen, cutting off flow to the 54-inch-diameter pipe that feeds the area.<\/p>\n Since the break, DWP reported its crews have worked around the clock to replace the broken valve while also pumping water into the system.<\/p>\n The complex repairs entail working 20 feet underground and near other critical infrastructure, DWP officials said.<\/p>\n Crews have excavated 85% of the area and have begun digging by hand around the valve to ensure adjacent oil pipelines, a fiber optic line and a gas line<\/a> are not affected, Qui\u00f1ones said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n