water

Huge Main Break Spawns NJ Water Emergency; Hospitals Delay Surgeries as Drought Watch Hits

"Until normal water operations resume, the community should refrain from coming to the hospital for non-emergency issues," officials at northern NJ's only Level 1 Trauma Center said Tuesday afternoon

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What to Know

  • A massive water main break on the border of Newark and Belleville, New Jersey, Tuesday triggered a major emergency, cutting service or limiting pressure to many and spawning at least one car-swallowing sinkhole
  • Boil water advisories are in effect until further notice as a precaution for Newark and Belleville residents; with more than 100,000 impacted, Newark planned to go door-to-door handing out water
  • Hospitals were on emergency contingency plans all day -- and to top it all off, it happened the same day a statewide drought watch was issued. Residents and businesses in all counties are asked to conserve water

A monster water main break wreaked havoc in New Jersey's largest city and nearby communities Tuesday, impacting more than 100,000 people as hospitals grappled with diversions and officials planned door-to-door outreach. At the same time, emergency crews responded to at least one case where a woman's car was swallowed by a sudden sinkhole.

The 42-inch, 140-year-old pipe broke in Branch Brook Park on the border of Newark and neighboring Belleville around 8 a.m., Anthony Iacono, Belleville township manager, said. That led to some initial confusion about the origin of the break.

Water was still gushing from the ground nearly hours after the initial break, Chopper 4 footage showed. At some points, it soared 8 feet high. Newark utility officials say they identified six problematic valves, all of which were closed by early afternoon, though it wasn't clear if that would address the entirety of the problem.

It appeared there may have been two breaks -- the primary problem in Branch Brook Park on Mill Street and a secondary break on Joralemon Street, also in Belleville, fire officials said. Fire officials were working to supply pressure, as more than 100 workers were trying to isolate the problem.

A sinkhole opened at some point, swallowing an entire vehicle but for a tire seen sticking out from the water. The woman who had been behind the wheel said she saw water bubbling up from the street and had the foresight to get out of her car.

She wasn't hurt.

Crews are working to repair a serious water main break in New Jersey. Jen Maxfield reports.

The entirety of Belleville was without water or had low pressure and most of Newark -- specifically the North, West, South and Central Wards, grappled similarly, according to officials. A boil water advisory is in effect for both communities, and Newark says it will go door-to-door handing out water. Multiple hospitals are affected. Some were diverting patients or water or both.

Newark's biggest hospital and the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the region, University Hospital, said it had activated its emergency command center and implemented emergency water conservation protocol. Visitors were limited through the day and patients were provided bottled water, the hospital said. All clinic visits and elective procedures were canceled.

Over at Beth Israel, surgeries were either postponed or canceled for the day. Some outpatient procedures were also postponed. Clara Maass, another trauma facility, said it didn't have to order evacuations.

Contingency plans for evacuations and other emergency protocols were in place across the board throughout the day.

"Until normal water operations resume, the community should refrain from coming to the hospital for non-emergency issues," hospital officials said. "University Hospital is always here to serve the healthcare needs of the community, and we appreciate everyone’s patience during this temporary water emergency."

On top of the mess, the havoc-wreaking break came the same day a statewide drought watch prompted a flurry of water conservation messages across all levels of Garden State government. It's the lowest of the three drought-related weather alerts, but if the situation worsens, environmental officials say mandatory water use restrictions could become necessary.

No doubt residents would have preferred to use the water triggered by Tuesday's mess a different way.

Footage provided by Belleville's mayor showed a vehicle tire sticking out of muddy water. It wasn't clear if it was occupied at the time of the flood or whether the person had to be rescued.

"Under an abundance of caution, we are advising residents impacted by the water main break to boil their tap water until further notice," Belleville officials wrote on Facebook.

Newark and Bellville residents are experiencing low or no water pressure and residents were advised to boil water until further notice. From chopper 4, Kai Simonsen reports.

Both Belleville and Newark water departments are working to contain the problem, officials said. The Newark Office of Emergency Management is asking neighboring cities for help to supply water tankers while repairs are being made.

One man said he went to a neighbor's to take a shower because he had no water -- and it took him 30 minutes to rinse there.

No widespread reports came in of homes or businesses flooded, but some appeared to be affected. A KFC restaurant in Newark had its doors shut.

Contractors hope to fix most of the issues in a matter of hours.

With a vast majority of the area out of water completely or enduring low pressure, the Newark Board of Education declared a "citywide water emergency" and canceled all after-summer-school programs for the day.

https://twitter.com/NPSvoices/status/1556972538034618369

Chopper 4 showed pooling water by a bridge on Branch Brook Park Drive as vehicle backups began to develop around 8:15 a.m. A river does run alongside the road, but it's not supposed to look like it did on Tuesday.

Water was seen gushing from what appeared to be a gaping hole in the middle of the road.

Branch Brook Park After Tuesday's Break

water main break
This was the scene on Branch Book Park Drive.

Branch Brook Park via Google Maps Before Break

google map view
Google Maps
Here's what it usually looks like, according to Google Maps.

A short aerial trip away, people were seen standing in ankle-to-knee high water in Belleville by Mill Street, where the break happened. It wasn't clear when officials expected to have a timeline for full restoration or even whether they had isolated and contained the problem by mid-morning.

Newark is served by two upstream reservoirs, though it's not clear if they serve the city by separate water mains.

The investigation is ongoing.

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