UCLA Will Replace Pauley Floor, Still Look To Play There In Fall

((HT: ABC 7/KABC-TV))

Almost 400 cars have been pulled from the parking structures in and around the UCLA athletics facilities, now that 48 hours have passed since the massive water main break on Sunset Boulevard that flooded Pauley Pavilion, the Drake track stadium, the intramural fields, twp below-ground parking decks, and two other buildings in the area.

The HQ thinks that's all of the buildings...

UCLA AD Dan Guerrero has now said publicly that the Pauley Pavilion floor will be replaced- the cost to have it installed during the nine-figure renovation two years ago was $500,000. He doesn't think that the university will be footing the bill.

Here's the look of the evacuation from campus


Helfand and Cook of the LA Times newspaper were front and center at the use of squeegies and vacuum cleaners at Pauley where the damage was quantified:

The water on the Pauley floor crested at about eight inches, campus officials estimated, but by Tuesday night only about an inch remained.

Guerrero said the damage was limited because of the quick response by workers.

Pauley Pavilion Court "Buckling"

((HT: KABC-TV))

UCLA AD Dan Guerrero is far more optimistic than a lot of other folks on campus these days.

He says that the Bruins will play inside Pauley Pavilion this season.

Assistant vice chancellor Kelly Schmader is just relaying the facts:

"Basically, it had eight to 10 inches of water all over the court. Crews worked through the night to try to get that water removed and they're currently in the drying process. The court is showing a little sign of buckling and expansion. Whether we'll be able to save that court, I don't know."

According to Schmader, 739 vehicles are still stuck inside two parking structures located in and around the athletic facilities. Some vehicles were completely under water- others just surrounded by water.

Here's the look around the campus from this morning


No word yet on what caused the actual break in the line, but officials think that Sunset Boulevard will be closed for a while. As a main conduit through campus, it is creating all the headaches one can imagine for travel under morning rush hour conditions.

DEVELOPING: UCLA Athletics Flooded By Water Main Break

((HT: ABC7 KABC-TV))

As of 6:20 eastern time this evening, a massive water main break has erupted near all the athletics facilities on the UCLA campus effecting the Drake Track and Field Stadium, Pauley Pavilion, J.D. Morgan Center, the George Kneller Student-Athlete Academic Center, Athletic Hall of Fame and John Wooden Center.

Early reports from KNBC-TV had 36,000 gallons of water a minute escaping from the 30-inch water main break on Sunset Boulevard.

Here's the early news from Sunset


Pauley Pavilion was renovated two years ago at the cost of $133-million. Two parking structures are flooded and taking on water nearby and the intramural fields are reported to be at least 50-percent underwater at present two and a half hours into the emergency.

No word from UCLA athletics at present as to how their facilities are impacted.

More when we know more...

2120 UPDATE: The LA Department of Water and Power put out some details on the pipe that burst.

The water main is a 30-inch, 90-year-old riveted steel pipe that delivers water to the area at a high velocity from Upper Stone Canyon Reservoir.

Water flow through the pipe when operational is estimated at 75,000 gallons per minute. LADWP serves approximately 500 million gallons of water to customers each day.