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DWP Is Chronically Late Fixing Dangerous Electrical Hazards
LADWP Headquarters | Photo by Mike Chen aka Metalman via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr
The DWP has a serious problem addressing urgent electrical hazards, according to a new state audit.
That study, by the California Public Utilities Commission, found that more than half of the "priority level 1" issues reported to the DWP don't get fixed immediately - even though those are extremely dangerous situations, such as decayed power poles at risk of collapse.
DWP officials said that they hold off on those repairs if they don't have the parts necessary to make the fix right away, or if they'll have to shut off a neighborhood's power unexpectedly, the Daily News reports.
In the last few years, city officials have acknowledged that the utility is having serious trouble dealing with its aging infrastructure, such as wooden overhead power poles that are more than 60 years old. The DWP is trying to replace those poles, but is far behind its own goals to change them out.
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