Earthquake blamed for water main break in Randolph, New Jersey
RANDOLPH, N.J. -- Friday's earthquake is being blamed for a water main break in Randolph that sent water gushing into the middle of a street.
Residents on Pleasant Hill Road dealt with water rushing down their street for hours, saying the pressure of the water was at its highest point for over an hour.
"It was like a fountain, like a geyser, just water spewing up," resident Lisa Narcise said.
For an hour and a half, Narcise says she watched the water main break gush, completely soaking the house across the street.
"I looked out the front, and I saw just brown water rushing down like a river," she said.
Residents describe the street as nearly exploding. The road is now completely impassible with water running down the street.
The head of the Morris County Municipal Utility Authority says the 4.8-magnitude earthquake most likely caused the 24-inch main to break.
"It was pretty, pretty scary. I felt rumbling. I almost felt like the house kinda came up out of the ground," Narcise said.
She says the break happened around 1 p.m., a few hours after the earthquake, but now, more than 80 homes have little-to-no water.
"They said the water is definitely not working. I filled up big barrels of, garbage barrels of water while my water was still running," Narcise said.
Residents say this is the second time this has happened in 10 years, and last time, they were out of water for several days.
At this time, there is no estimate of when the water will be restored.
A Boil Water Advisory has been issued for residents on the following streets:
- Pleasant Hill Road
- Golden Corner Way
- Spring Brook Drive
- Budd Street
- Main Street
- Chester Avenue
- Sleepy Hollow Road
- Mel Drive
- Greenhut Avenue
- Barney Street
- William Street
- Sorman Terrace
- Marre Drive
- Selma Boulevard
Residents should bring tap water to a boil for one minute and allow it to cool before using. The advisory is in effect until further notice.