Watch CBS News

Water Main Break Floods Streets, Basements In Edison, New Jersey

EDISON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A main break sent water pouring into the streets in Edison, New Jersey this weekend and left at least three basements flooded.

As CBS2's Brian Conybeare reported, the water was not shut off for nearly 24 hours.

It looked more like a geyser erupting than a residential street in Edison this weekend.

"At about 9:30 (p.m. Saturday), there was like an explosion," said Doug Duggal of Edison. "It was like a boom – almost like a volcanic sound."

But it wasn't a volcano. It was a massive water main break under Stephenville Parkway. The main break was so forceful that rocks and asphalt shattered the rear windows on three cars in one driveway.

Then water started rushing everywhere, including Chinmy Patinkr's basement. He had two pumps running, and even had to tear out all his carpeting by hand.

"It is very hard," Patinkr said. "It took me like two hours, and it's very, very heavy because it is soaked."

One major problem is that the neighborhood where the main break happened sits on a ridge. All th ewater flowed downhill, turning backyards into raging rivers.

Martin Fitzpatrick's house also flooded. Parts of his yard looked like a lake.

"We had about a foot of water in the basement," Fitzpatrick said.

He estimated the damage at more than $10,000, but fortunately, he has insurance.

"We'll just wait for the adjusters, get everything cleaned up, but nobody got hurt; nobody got injured," Fitzpatrick said. "So you know, it could have been a lot worse."

New Jersey American Water needed 22 hours to finally get all the valves closed to shut down the 48-inch water main.

When asked why it took so long, Peter Eschbach of New Jersey American Water said the work involved more than just a large number of valves to shut off.

"We could turn it off right now and we would have hundreds of people without water," he said.

Amazingly, nobody did lose water service, and the geyser slowed to a trickle at about 7:30 p.m. so crews could start the repairs.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.