Last summer, when Los Angeles water mains were “mysteriously” bursting almost every other day, my wife and I discussed the news and came to the conclusion that the water conservancy programs had to be at least somewhat, if not largely, to blame. It was immediately obvious to us that the extreme variations in pressure and temperature resulting from alternating restricted and intensified use were intense stresses that old pipes simply couldn’t handle.

Flash forward nearly one year and the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power has solved the riddle of the bursting water mains. Their answer?