Paterson Without Water another week
PATERSON, New Jersey — Many residents and businesses remain without water after a 30-inch water main broke near Hinchcliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey.
The break happened on a small street behind the stadium and adjacent to Great Falls National Parks just after 6 a.m. on Friday, forcing the city to issue a boil water advisory and sending residents scrambling for cases of water.
After spending all day Friday trying to get to the rupture pipe, crews were back on Saturday working to fix the leak. But due the location of the break, age of the system, local topography and other nearby infrastructure, access has been difficult and repairs have been delayed, according to the Passaic Valley Water Commission.
“It is a difficult locator, right next to Hinchcliffe on the side of a hill about 10 to 15 feet deep in a wooded area,” said Jim Mueller of the Passaic Valley Water Commission.
As a result of the water main break, the commission expanded its boil water advisory to include residents and businesses in the entire city of Paterson, and the Borough of Prospect Park.
The water emergency affects an estimated 200,000 people in Paterson, Haledon, North Haledon, and Prospect Park.
A boil water advisory, however, will remain in effect for all impacted towns for at least another week because the water is still unsafe to drink after the massive water main break, officials said Thursday.
Businesses that prepare food have been ordered shut by the Passaic County Department of Health, and a boiled water advisory remains in effect in all four towns.
Totowa Avenue near John F. Kennedy High School where the water commission has installed a portable pump with a six-inch line to boost water pressure in the Hillcrest section of Paterson.
It’s a gradual process, Mueller said, because suddenly pumping too much pressure into a pipe could cause another main to burst.
“We can’t just ramp up a pump because there’s a possibility we could break pipes,” he said.
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said he understood residents are frustrated, but asked them once again to be patient.
“We do understand the pain and the frustration. We are frustrated ourselves. But rest assured we are doing the best we can.”
Haledon Mayor Michael Johnson said many of the 9,000 residents in his town were struggling with low water pressure. Haledon is providing potable water to residents at borough hall on Belmont Avenue, and bottled water and showers at the recreation center at 83 Roe Street.
