what to know
- Water pressure should be gradually returning to the city of Hoboken, according to officials, one day after a main water main burst left most residents without water service or with low water pressure.
- Contractors working on an unrelated project allegedly struck a large main at Observer and Madison, affecting water pressure throughout the city, according to utility company Veolia Water NJ.
- Hoboken University Medical Center began evacuating some patients overnight due to lack of water; schools are ready to resume classes after being closed on Tuesday.
NEW JERSEY — Officials say water pressure should be gradually returning to a small New Jersey town across the Hudson River from Manhattan hit by a main break that left most residents without water service. or with low water pressure.
Hoboken Mayor Ravinder Bhalla says crews have successfully isolated the broken water main, which he called “the critical step needed to allow water to flow around the area and for water pressure to return to the rest of the area.” the city”.
Bhalla said Tuesday night that the water pressure should gradually return over the next few hours. Veolia, the company that provides water to the city, said crews were reopening valves to stabilize water pressure throughout the city.
The problems in Hoboken began around noon Monday when a construction crew accidentally struck a water main while working on an unrelated project. Bhalla said a PSE&G contractor was working on a gas line when he damaged a water main near the Jersey City border.
“We are very upset about the situation, I am very upset about this situation,” Bhalla said. “People can’t flush the toilet, shower, brush their teeth. Basic things.”
Veolia said the force of the rupture penetrated two pipes or an interconnection of pipes, insulating one 16-inch pipe but was working to isolate the other. The company had said the water was safe to drink (for those who have water), but later in the evening said the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection had issued a “boil water caution notice” for the city.
Tenants living in skyscrapers and large buildings have been the most affected by the water cut.
“The challenge with a tall building is that you have a lot of residential density in one area. Situations like this with low water pressure, the water can’t get to the higher levels,” said Tiffanie Fisher, Hoboken city councilwoman.
The related issues led the city to issue a state of emergency and close public schools and municipal offices Tuesday, with all non-essential city services and recreational activities cancelled. The Hoboken School District said classes for all schools will resume on Wednesday.
Hoboken University Medical Center began evacuating some patients overnight due to lack of water, and one emergency room patient said staff were treating his hand wound with whatever they could during the night. water shortage, even “cleaning it with a water bottle”.
Chief Medical Officer John Rimmer said most EMS calls were being diverted to other hospitals, and that only patients with life-threatening needs would be seen, and that the emergency room would remain open. Rimmer said a mother in labor was taken to a different hospital, while ambulances from surrounding towns and cities lined up outside the medical center to take away patients. Others were discharged prematurely.
Neighbors waited in line to fill jugs and containers of water after city officials installed at least 10 water stations and set up portable toilets in Hoboken. The main concern was helping buildings with large populations of older adults, especially those unable to leave their homes, Bhalla said.
The rupture of the main water pipe also affected other towns in the area. Weehawken said in a series of tweets Tuesday afternoon that the water pressure was reduced and that some residents “saw discolored water when the system restarts.” The municipality also said the water is safe to drink and no boil water advisories have been issued.
Hoboken is no stranger to broken water pipes, but residents have been frustrated by the lack of a timeframe to fully fix the problem.
“The situation is quite bad at the moment,” said Jasmeer Singh, who lives on the fifth floor of a building and was still without water Tuesday night. “No update has been given. They say we have to wait.”
Christopher Halleron, Veolia’s communications manager, told sister network NBC New York that he “can’t give you a time frame. Our guys are working right now. What we need to do is make sure we’re doing it right and doing it safely.” “.
Mayor Bhalla said the water shortage should never have happened, adding that “Hoboken residents have my word that the people responsible will be held accountable.”
Police asked drivers to completely avoid the area between Observer Highway and Madison Street as repairs continue into the evening.
Yolanda Vásquez with the details from New Jersey.