Water main break leaves many without service in NJ city
Feb 28, 2023, 4:43 PM | Updated: 4:48 pm
HOBOKEN, N.J. (AP) — A water main break that has left most residents of a small New Jersey city across the Hudson River from Manhattan with no water service or low water pressure will likely not be repaired until at least Wednesday.
The problems in Hoboken began around noon Monday when a construction crew accidentally struck a water main. A spokesman for Veolia, the company that provides the city’s water, said the force of the rupture penetrated two mains or an interconnection of two mains.
The company has isolated a 16-inch main but is still working to isolate the other one. Once that is done, the repairs can be made and service will be restored.
Veolia has said it’s safe to drink and has not issued a boil water advisory. However, related problems have spurred the city to issue a state of emergency and close public schools and municipal offices, and Hoboken University Medical Center started evacuating some patients Tuesday because of the lack of water.
Veolia crews were attempting to identify the exact location of the break and isolate the main while not cutting water to the entire city. Their efforts were being hampered by the complexity of the water main infrastructure at that location and the interconnectivity with nearby Jersey City.,
City officials have set up water stations and placed portable toilets across the city.
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