Boil Advisory Lifted After Crane Ruptures Water Main In Cliffside Park
CLIFFSIDE PARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A boil water advisory was lifted for three New Jersey towns Thursday evening, about 36 hours after a 600,000-pound construction crane crushed an underground water main.
The boil water advisory had been in effect for Cliffside Park, Englewood Cliffs and Fort Lee.
United Water advised that customers who had been under the boil advisory should run their water faucets for three to five minutes to flush the pipes, empty and clean automatic ice makers and water chillers, drain and refill hot water heaters if they are set below 113 degrees, and run water softener filters through a regeneration cycle.
Bergen County Executive James Tedesco earlier Thursday said about 36 customers had been without water earlier in the day, and had been expected to have service restored by 6 p.m. At one point 36,000 customers were left with either low water pressure or no water at all.
The accident happened at 7:20 a.m. Wednesday in Cliffside Park when the crane's boom was lowered to the ground for repairs to a sensor, authorities said. Crews began to raise the boom when they noticed water coming out of the street.
The weight of the crane damaged the 24-inch water main.
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 Wednesday.
Workers at nearby businesses said they were left with a serious mess.
"We have water in our basement. What you see up here sludge — not just water, but the sludge and dirt and everything else," said pizza shop owner Steven Testino.
"We're using plastic cups; bottled beer," said bartender Lisa Reid. "The only stipulation is not to cook any food."
Workers are removing the crane and boom from Anderson Avenue, which is expected to reopen on Friday.
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