Teachers and students at Valencia High School got an unexpected lesson on water loss Monday morning when a geyser of water shot into the air near the school.
Shortly after 7:35 a.m. Monday, residents of a neighborhood overlooking the school on Dickason Drive reported seeing a geyser of water released into the air near Mariposa Place.
Teachers and students at Valencia High School got an unexpected lesson on water loss Monday morning when a geyser of water shot into the air near the school.
Shortly after 7:35 a.m. Monday, residents of a neighborhood overlooking the school on Dickason Drive reported seeing a geyser of water released into the air near Mariposa Place.
About 7,000 gallons of water was lost.
Firefighters were dispatched to the 24000 block of Mariposa for reports of an open sheared hydrant, said Vanessa Lozano, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
When firefighters arrived they found a sheared valve and not a sheared hydrant, officials revealed later. The resulting release of water, however, had the same effect.
“The water valve that was sheared off this morning was a two-inch air release valve not a fire hydrant,” Ken Petersen, general manager for the Valencia Water Company said.
“The valve was sheared off by a large vehicle that did not stay at the scene of the accident,” he said.
“By the time the water was turned off, we estimate 7,000 gallons or about 9 billing units ($18 approximately) of water was lost,” he said. ” The cost of the repair is yet to be determined.”
“The water geyser was spotted across the SCV from Valencia High School,” Corey Fredrickson told The Signal. “This image surprised many citizens on their way to school and work.”
Fredrickson described the source of the “40-foot fountain” as being situated on a lot on Mariposa Place
He saw firefighters from Fire Station No. 156 “turning the valve that supplied” the line.
“It seems someone backed into this water shutoff relief valve and snapped off the fitting at the base,” he said.
Valencia Water Company officials were also called to the scene.
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