Photo Courtesy of Michael Melham
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Just as utility companies and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection have been encouraging state residents to conserve water as New Jersey faces drought conditions due to extreme heat, a water main break in Belleville spelled trouble for several Essex County towns.
Due to an Aug. 9 water main break on the city of Newark supply line in Belleville, several area towns, including Belleville, Bloomfield and Newark, issued a boil-water advisory. Many residents also experienced severely reduced water pressure and saw brown, brackish water flowing from their faucets. The boil-water advisory was lifted after a few days.
At approximately 8 a.m. on Aug. 9, a 72-inch water main broke in Branch Brook Park on the border of Belleville and Newark.
“A large water main break in Belleville this morning impacted water service in the north, west, and part of the south and central wards of Newark. Because of this, some of our residents and businesses have experienced no water or low pressure,” Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said Aug. 9, announcing the city’s boil-water advisory. “The Department of Water and Sewer Utilities has been working diligently all day to get the break under control and restore full service. Because of this hard work, some residents have seen their water service restored, and we are continuing to work until full restoration. We are going door-to-door to issue bottled water to residents in affected areas. Several businesses donated these bottles to the city, and we are thankful for their support. We are also grateful to our residents for their patience, especially those who have stepped in today to help neighbors with water delivery.”
Multiple agencies worked together to fix the issue, including the Newark Department of Water and Sewer Utilities, the Essex County Office of Emergency Management, the Newark OEM, the Belleville Department of Public Works and Passaic Valley Water Commission.
“I want to assure residents that we are testing and retesting the water supply system as often as possible and we haven’t detected the presence of any contaminants such as E. coli or fecal coliform. Until the situation is resolved, the township will continue to sample and re-sample the water to verify that these contaminants have not been introduced into the potable water system,” Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia said Aug. 9. “As in other water breaks of this nature, where water pressure or service is either low or nonexistent, all water used for consumption, brushing teeth and washing dishes should be boiled for at least one minute before use until further notice, and use of bottled water is encouraged.”
By Aug. 10, Newark Department of Water and Sewer Utilities Director Kareem Adeem announced that 99 percent of the city’s water service had been restored.
“We have made outstanding progress on controlling this leak from the water main break from the beginning, and I thank our Water and Sewer Utilities team for their round-the-clock efforts to do so,” Baraka said Aug. 10.
Adeem said the break was isolated and that a car had been removed from a sinkhole that had opened up on a street in Branch Brook Park.
“The leak on the water main break has been isolated, the vehicle obstruction removed and excavation has begun to uncover the water main,” Adeem said Aug. 10.
Belleville announced Aug. 11 that, less than two full days after the break, water pressure had been restored to normal in Belleville as the Newark Department of Water and Sewer Utilities continued repair work on the ruptured water main break. However, the boil-water advisory remained in effect through midday Aug. 13.
“Through the township engineer’s diligent work to temporarily divert water to Belleville residents, normal water pressure has been restored,” Belleville Mayor Michael Melham said in an Aug. 11 Facebook post. “The township immediately began flushing hydrants as per state Department of Environmental Protection protocols.”
By midday Aug. 13, Belleville water samples had been tested by the NJDEP and found to be safe. The same held true for Bloomfield and Newark.
Unfortunately, this did not end the water woes for Newark, which suffered another water main break on Aug. 11, affecting the Vailsburg section of the city.
“After restoring water to 100 percent yesterday evening, we experienced a pressure surge that led to a 30-inch water main break at about 2 a.m. this morning at 15th Avenue and 15th Street in the West Ward. This break is affecting water pressure in the Vailsburg section of the city,” Baraka announced Aug. 11. “Fortunately, the Department of Water and Sewer Utilities has isolated this break, crews are on site and repairs have begun.”
This water main break has also now been fixed.
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