Coastal residents of Rancho Palos Verdes now face a host of headaches as their idyllic community slides toward the sea and now has its gas shut off.
“Due to worsening land movement,” Southern California Gas told Portuguese Bend area residents on Friday to expect to lose gas service Monday morning. “This dynamic situation requires immediate action to protect public safety.”
The utility didn’t say exactly what had changed to prompt the interim notice issued Saturday.
The outage will affect 135 homes.
The city of Rancho Palos Verdes said it has not discovered any natural gas leaks. In a message to community residents, the city said it is asking SoCal Gas to consider delaying closures for at least some homes.
The closure notice did not specify how long it would take the gas company to move 600 feet of natural gas pipeline and install flex connections and emergency shut-off valves. The utility said homeowners can stay put but warned against connecting alternative natural gas supplies, such as propane, to their metered lines.
Rancho Palos Verdes says it will begin voluntary safety inspections.
The short notice angered some residents. It’s just the latest impact of recent increases in the rate at which coastal ridges are sliding seaward, cracking foundations, rupturing gas, sewer and water pipes and tilting utility poles as new shorelines are created. Some buildings have been declared unsafe, including the popular Wayfarers Church. The city has been under a local state of emergency since October.
While parts of the landslide complex have struggled with slope movement for years, recent heavy winter rains have expanded the slide’s extent, which now encompasses just over a square mile. This growth rate is expected to accelerate.
(Paul Dukinsky/Los Angeles Times)
