Results tagged “watermainbreak”

This afternoon, there was a water main break at Bleecker and Carmine Streets. As this photograph shows, it created a burbling, muddy-looking lake on the street.

While building tenants were allowed back to their apartments and stores after a water main broke in Tribeca yesterday morning, the clean-up will take a while. Sean Hershkowitz, an owner of the terrific Balloon Saloon, said, "Everything has been totally destroyed. All of our inventory was in the basement," while A Uno clothing store owner Ann Benedetto lamented about computer equipment and clothing in her basement, "I have product here for fall that’s soaking." The main that broke at Duane and West Broadway was from 1870; the DEP told the Tribeca Tribune that it was just old. DEP Commissioner Steven Lawitts said, "Cast iron, after many years of freezes and thaws and street vibrations will break if not replaced." He added that even hough the city spend $200-300 million to replace old water pipes, "Unfortunately we can’t be everywhere with programmed replacement, so we still have these random occurrences, which we have to treat just as quickly as we can.”

Downtown residents and building owners got an unpleasant surprise early this morning when a water main broke at West Broadway and Duane Street at around 2:15 a.m. A number of buildings were evacuated and currently, the Office of Emergency Management reports, "Emergency personnel are on scene of a water main break affecting the area of West Broadway and Duane St. Duane St. from Hudson St. to Church St. and West Broadway from Reade St. to Worth St. are closed to vehicular traffic. The M20 Bus is being rerouted. There are no current impacts to subways." However, the MTA says, "In addition, due to a water main break in the area of the Chambers Street Station, please expect delays in service on 1, 2 and 3 trains and M20, M22 and X25 buses in both directions this time."

Over 100,000 gallons of water flooded a four-block area in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx yesterday morning. A 20-inch water main broke around 3:30 a.m.; though it was contained by 6:30 a.m., NY1 reports the "sidewalk started to crumble, creating a huge gaping hole that stretched along half the street in one of the Bronx's busiest intersections"—231st Street and Broadway. Businesses, including a parking garage, Chase bank, and an African artifacts store, were flooded, leaving business owners worried about damages (the city is accepting damage claims). City Councilman Oliver Koppell added, "This is just about the worst place in the community where this could happen because all the buses converge on this corner, as well as a lot of traffic going from Kingsbridge to Riverdale." MyFoxNY says that while the DEP is restoring water pressure, residents "may see some brown water coming through their taps." The brown water is safe, just let it run.

Expect delays if you're riding on the 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 trains this afternoon. A water main broke at the intersection of Canal and Varick streets in Tribeca, flooding the Canal Street station and causing southbound 1 trains to terminate at 14th Street. Brooklyn College-bound 2 trains are turning at the Times Square-42nd Street Station. Number 3 trains are running between the New Lots Avenue Station and the Crown Heights-Utica Avenue Station in both directions. Number 5 trains are running between the East 180th Street Station and the Dyre Avenue Station in both directions. The redirection means that the South Ferry Station is out of commission for the time being after just reopening today following a long construction process.

Residents (and we imagine businesses as well) in a 20 block section of Jersey City have "little or no water pressure" after a water main broke earlier this morning. WABC 7 reports that the " 30-inch main broke at the intersection of 18th Street and Washington Boulevard just after 4 a.m." Emergency crews are working to fix the break, but all residents are being asked to conserve water in order to "help maintain some pressure in the affected area."

Some West Village restaurants can’t catch a break this week; first an old water main broke and flooded them out during Memorial Day weekend, now the city has been stone cold shutting them down. Eater has it that the Department of Health ordered Diablo Royale on West 10th Street to close yesterday for “unsanitary conditions” – a tipster says the inspectors faulted the restaurant’s flooded basement. Now the swank bar/restaurant Employees Only has gotten the hammer. The DOB’s sign on the door reads:

The Department of Buildings has determined that conditions in this premises are imminently perilous to life. This premises has been vacated and reentry is prohibited until such conditions have been eliminated to the satisfaction of the department.

Apparently, the city is thoroughly inspecting every establishment in and around the flood zone for sanitation issues and structural damage. A necessary step, but full closure is a bitter pill for restaurants trying to get back on their feet after the costly incident, which the DEP admits was caused by an old water main they had not yet gotten around to replacing.

The late Saturday night water main break in the West Village has left residents with water-damaged apartments and businesses in the lurch. A restaurant owner lamented about throwing away food and needing to be closed over the holiday weekend to the Daily News, "New Yorkers love to brunch and when there is a holiday weekend there is an extra day of brunch. We got hit really hard."

If you're walking home through the West Village tonight, you may be wishing you'd brought your galoshes, or waders, or a rowboat. A major water main break on West 10th St. has flooded the area surrounding it. Reader Erik Dane ( of The Foggy Monocle) sent us this on-the-spot photo of West 4th completely underwater. He reports that cops and firemen are swarming the area to get the situation under control.

At West End Avenue and West 59th Street, a water main broke, flooding the Amtrak tracks. The FDNY is pumping out the water and a number of other city agencies, including the Office of Emergency Management and Department of Environmental Protection are on the scene. According to other reports, a new building (an expansion of John Jay Collage) at the intersection is also flooded.