Originally built in the 1920s, the housing project in Los Angeles was rebuilt in 1974, but was suffering from the onset of pinhole leaks in its copper drinking water pipes that are located within the structure of the units. Pipes varied in size from ½-inch to 1 ½-inch in diameter.

The 1970s bestseller “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values” used the author’s experience repairing a motorcycle on a cross-country trip to explore competing approaches to life.