Will Silver Lake Reservoir Drain Be Home Sales Apocalypse?

The LA Times checks out Silver Lake's latest drama, over whether the LADWP should tear up West Silver Lake Drive or drain the Silver Lake Reservoir for 18 months--one of the two is going to have to be done in the course of construction of a new federally-compliant reservoir to replace the SL one. On one side sits construction noise, dust, and loss of business (which some residents have already previewed); on the other: an empty reservoir. One real estate agent, who we must mention "sprinkl[es] four-letter words in the conversation about Streamline Moderne architecture," thinks that's going to be bad news for home sales in the neighborhood: "'It's counterproductive for what's going on in the neighborhood,' he said, noting that Southern California home sales in May were up 21%." But even so the DWP now says it's "75% for going through reservoir." That's at least in part because it'll cost about $20 million less than going under West Silver Lake. The DWP is holding a community meeting on the matter on July 11 and could start the great drain by the end of 2013.
· Silver Lake and Los Angeles DWP at odds over pipeline project [LAT]
· Silver Lake Reservoir Could Be Emptied For a Year and a Half [Curbed LA]