Water service restored in Paterson, N.J. after 3rd water main break this month
Residents in Paterson, New Jersey are once again dealing with frustration over a water main break. Though service has been restored, many are still under a boil water advisory.
The Passaic Valley Water Commission said service returned for 18,000 customers in the Riverside section of the city Monday afternoon after a 42-inch pipe broke early Sunday at North 1st Street and Arch. The boil water advisory remains in place for parts of Paterson, Prospect Park, Haledon and North Haledon, as well as nearby Fair Lawn.
Residents and businesses in those areas should boil water for at least one minute before using it for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, washing dishes or making ice, officials said.
Officials point to aging pipes and recent earthquakes
The latest development follows two other water main breaks in recent weeks, and it comes just days after crews fixed a rupture near Hinchliffe Stadium.
Jim Mueller, the executive director of the Passaic Valley Water Commission, said crews working at two different sites since Sunday morning detected a pin-sized hole and isolated the leak.
"The repair itself will take longer. I don't anticipate that being completed by today and I don't have an exact time frame," Mueller said Monday.
Water company officials said the impacted pipes have one thing in common -- they're 120 to 140 years old, and that age, coupled with recent earthquakes, likely contributed to the recent breaks.
"Underlining it, seismic activity, those kind of things certainly don't help, and I have been asked a lot of about that, earthquakes. True, there was an earthquake in Hillsdale two, three weeks ago. Certainly not helpful," Mueller said.
He said there's a larger plan to fix aging pipes, but the Passaic Valley Water Commission is still in the process bidding those projects out.
Residents still dealing with brown water
Maria Ortiz said she had no choice but to wash her clothes in muddy-looking water and is worried about her daughter and grandkids.
"What about the kids? What about the babies? They take formula. How are they going to give their kids formula with dirty water?" Ortiz said.
One couple told CBS News New York that not having service multiple times has been difficult, adding they were forced to spend $120 eating out and more money on bleach to keep everything clean.
Maria Pena owns a deli and liquor store.
"It's difficult for everybody. For me, I can't sell ice. I think the machine is broken, because we left and [there was] no water," Pena said. "I lost a lot of business."