Water Main Break In Cliffside Park Affects About 36,000 Customers
CLIFFSIDE PARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Three Bergen County towns were under a boil water advisory Wednesday night, hours after a water main ruptured in Cliffside Park.
A construction crane was blamed on the water main break, which happened at 7:20 a.m. Wednesday. It impacted about 36,000 customers, leaving them with either low water pressure or no water at all.
As CBS2's Steve Langford reported, a retail, residential office complex is under construction at the corner of Anderson and Lawton avenues in Cliffside Park, and the gigantic crane is being used for the project.
County officials said the crane's boom was lowered for repairs to a sensor, and when the boom was lifted up again, water started rushing into the street.
Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco said the street collapsed under the weight of the crane, crushing a 24-inch water main, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.
"Is a 600,000 pound crane sitting in the middle of the street a normal operation? No," Tedesco said. "I could probably tell you that this road surface isn't equipped to handle that kind of weight."
The crane crew saw water gushing from the street as it began to raise the giant boom this morning. And the surrounding neighborhood got hit hard.
"We have water in our basement," said the operator of a local pizza shop. "What you see up here sludge -- not just water, but the sludge and dirt and everything else."
Water Main Break In Cliffside Park Affecting About 36,000 Customers
The pizza shop had to close for business, as residents and business operators lost water or water pressure. A boil water advisory remained in effect late Wednesday afternoon for Cliffside Park, Fort Lee, and Englewood Cliffs.
"We're using plastic cups; bottled beer," said bartender Lisa Reid. "The only stipulation is not to cook any food."
Late Wednesday afternoon, the arduous task of moving the crane very carefully had begun as United Water started patching the water main, WCBS 880's Levon Putney reported.
"Every inch that we move that, we have to ensure the road surface, the plating, and everything else isn't changing on us," Tedesco said.
A woman who lives nearby says with all things considered, she's glad no one was injured.
"But I need them to clean the street and get rid of this traffic," the woman said.
Water Main Break In Cliffside Park Being Repaired
The crane had been moved to the middle of the street to make a repair, and who authorized that is now a key unanswered question.
"That's still being looked into, and again, that will become part of the investigation," Tedesco said.
Bergen County officials also brought in their own crane expert to examine everything at the scene, Langford reported.
As of 5 p.m., there were anywhere from 10 to 200 people still without water. There were no injuries reported.
The crane was expected to be lifted back up within eight to 12 hours.
