Boil water advisory after main breaks at Cliffside Park construction site
CLIFFSIDE, N.J. (WABC) --
A boil water advisory is still in effect after a massive
construction crane fell from a support in New Jersey Wednesday morning,
breaking a water main.The advisory has been issued by United Water for Cliffside Park, Englewood Cliffs and Fort Lee. Residents should boil their water for at least one minute for drinking, cooking, baking, making ice cubes, taking medication, brushing teeth, washing food, mixing baby formula or food, mixing juices or drinks, feeding pets, and all other consumption. Water does not have to be boiled for showering, washing dishes or clothes.
Electricity also will be off in a five-block area once the crane is ready to be moved; the outage will be Grant Avenue to Lincoln Avenue along Anderson Avenue in Cliffside Park.
Around 8 a.m. on the corner of Anderson Avenue and Grant Avenue, the crane, which was being used as part of a redevelopment project, was being moved when it fell and crushed the pipe. United Water emergency crews were immediately dispatched, targeted the break and isolated the 24-inch water main within two hours.
Businesses and homes were flooded, Cliffside Park spokesperson Bill Mae said, with the exacerbating traffic issues that already existed in the area because of the construction. Fort Lee also is affected. Water was shut off to hundreds of homes and businesses. United Water is laying temporary lines to restore water service but some were still having water problems in the area.
"One of the things we're concerned about is because of the weight of the crane if we start to move it we'll do additional damage to the utilities that are under the ground," said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco.
A picture from inside DonnaGio's Pizza:
As crews worked into the night to lighten the load and haul away the 600,000 pound crane on Anderson Avenue, stores quickly closed their doors, unable to function without water or dealing with the time consuming task of boiling it for customers.
Jessica Rivera lives just up the block. She showed Eyewitness News that the water pressure in her building was still weak more than 12 hours after the water main break in Cliffside Park.
"We'll either go to a hotel or my mother's house in Union City. It's tough with children," Rivera said.
United Water is working with the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management, which has arranged potable water tankers to be available for those residents without water service.
"We appreciate the support and patience of our customers in the area," said Tom Neilan, senior director of contract operations for United Water. "We realize that a boil water advisory is a disruption to people's daily activities. Our crews will remain on-site and work as quickly and safely as possible to restore full water service to the affected area."
County and city leaders said the question of using such a heavy crane on the road that couldn't handle the weight is still under investigation.
"We have to ensure as we move the crane back that there is enough stability for crane not either sink in or cause additional damage to the utilities under the road," Tedesco said.
One business owner shot cell phone video of the water flowing through his shop. "I see the water too much here like tsunami like this kind of water I make a video too and I make three brooms and I push out the water I take off my pants and everything I'm very scared," said owner Yogesh Shah.
Workers at a nearby animal hospital said they lost thousands of dollars in equipment and supplies. "We have the laundry machine, the dryer, an oxygen machine, medications all out," said hospital worker Isaac Alejo.
Three hospitalized animals and two in boarding were taken to another facility.