Paterson water service flowing for all residents; full restoration could take several more days
While water is flowing for Paterson residents, nearby communities are still without service
PATERSON, New Jersey (WABC) -- City leaders and water officials in Paterson said they have recovered water service to all city residents Thursday evening, but some nearby communities may have to wait until Friday.
However, officials cautioned that recovered water service is not the same as normal restored water service, which will take longer.
"It is recovering faster than we thought it would, and we're taking steps to make sure that's optimized, we have to open hydrants to vent air, when water started to flow, we closed those hydrants so you're not losing the water," said Passaic Valley Water Commission Executive Director Jim Mueller.
Despite the progress made, officials say the lines are still being pressurized, and the boil water advisory will likely continue for another week.
Officials say the highest points in nearby towns like Haledon and North Haledon are still without service, that's because the Manchester Utility Authority, which serves those two towns, buys water from PVWC, who aims to recover theirs by Friday morning.
Residents at a borough council meeting in Haledon Thursday nightasked, is it a good idea to keep relying on their neighbor's water supply?
"Iron pipes, the rust doesn't stop. There's no vacation. There's no time off," said one concerned resident. "It's continuing eating away our pipes. What are we going to do so this doesn't happen again?"
Victor D'Ambrosio, chairman of Manchester Utility Authority, said this event is "unprecedented."
"I mean we are truly in uncharted waters. Never has the system completely emptied," D'Ambrosio said.
MUA officials say things are moving quicker than expected, but they still don't know when water will be back.
They're emphasizing that even if other water utilities lift boil water advisories, that does not apply in Haledon or North Haledon because the water systems are separate.
The developments on Thursday come after nearly 200,000 residents have been without water for a week after a major water main break near Hinchcliffe Stadium.
Those residents haven't been able to cook, use sinks, toilets, showers or laundry machines.
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said some level of water pressure has been restored, but he urged residents to continue to conserve water.
"You have to conserve this water because we don't want to regress, we're making progress, we're not back to normal just yet, we will get there, we will get there," he said.
City leaders say the restoration of the water pressure has to be done in a systematic way so more harm is not caused to water mains.
They say crews are working around the clock to install a 30-inch pipe that will connect the bottom to the top of the system. It will take about three to four days, with the goal of near-full restoration by the end of the weekend.
RELATED | How residents are coping nearly week after water main break in Paterson
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