It happened Wednesday morning at 21st Avenue and Spring Street in Paterson.
All water for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth and washing dishes should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute.
Officials in Paterson have set up water distribution sites while the advisory is in effect.
Residents will need to provide an ID as proof of residency.
"We have seven pallets of water, we will have an additional five, we will be distributing one case per household to everybody in the boil water advisory until they run out, once they run out we will reassess and we will go from there," said Paterson OEM coordinator Troy Ayers.
Ayers said he believes the boil water advisory will be in effect until further notice, likely for 24-48 hours.
Officials say all Paterson libraries will also be providing cold water and cooling stations during business hours.
St. Joseph's Health released a statement later Thursday that they are able to resume operations safely:
"As we continue to manage through the water main break event, water pressure at St. Joseph's University Medical Center is improving to a level sufficient enough for us to resume operations safely. As such, the medical center is no longer on divert status. The Passaic Valley Water Commission has issued a boil water advisory for residents and businesses in South Paterson, for the next 48 hours, and we have secured clean water for use by patients, visitors and staff during this period."
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