A major water main break left much of Newark without water on Tuesday morning.
Around 6am, a 42 inch water main broke in Belleville. Its water supply supplies most of Newark with water.
The line dates back to the 1880s and left about 100,000 Newark residents without or without water.
The system is currently being repressurized, but the Newark and Belleville boiling water advisories still apply for the next 24 hours.
Newark leaders say the system will return to full pressure through the rest of the night. , there are still some questions.
“It’s like a 10-year break. Every 10 years, when a big pipe of this size breaks, we have this type of break,” said the director of the Newark Water and Sewerage Authority. One Kareem Adeem says:
The break occurred as New Jersey was dealing with temperatures above 90 degrees on Day 8. The disruption has forced local hospitals to cancel some procedures.
“Our first thing is to get water back into the community. Once we get water back into the community, we will start looking at repairing this pipe,” says Adeem.
The crew worked all morning to isolate the broken water main from the rest of the system. After reports of a sudden drop in water pressure came in, a woman in her car stumbled upon a resting place in Brunch’s Brooks’ Park.
“The street started to collapse and she got stuck. She got out of the car safely, but when the water started eroding the street, the car fell over,” says Adeem.
Some New Jersey leaders say the state needs more money to improve its infrastructure.
“Do I have to say again that this country needs a $30 billion water infrastructure?” said Shawn LaTourette of the New Jersey Environmental Protection Commission.
The cause of the damage to the water main is unknown, but it is believed to be due to deterioration of the cast iron pipe over time.
“We tend to take water for granted. says Mr.
But Adeem says Newark is strong and the city will weather this.
“It’s a big operation, but it’s nothing we’re not used to. We’re a water and sewage utility. We fix pressure and pipes,” says Adeem. “We have wonderful residents. We understand that when problems arise, we work together to solve them. I want to thank them for their patience,” he said.
Adeem said the system has water available in the event of a major fire, and neighboring towns have been notified to send fire departments to the city for mutual assistance.