Nutley, Belleville Spared Major Water Woes After Main Break: Officials

BELLEVILLE-NUTLEY, NJ — Last week’s major water main break in Nutley is still causing serious water woes in several Essex County towns as of Monday. But Nutley and Belleville haven’t seen the widespread service issues that have flummoxed their neighbors, officials say.

The fallout from Wednesday’s break in Nutley spurred a boil water advisory in Bloomfield and caused alerts in Newark, Montclair, Belleville and Glen Ridge. Bloomfield has been the only one of those municipalities to issue a boil water advisory so far. Read More: Large NJ Water Main Break Causes Boil Advisory, Service Issues (Update)

The broken 74-inch water main, which is located in Nutley, is operated by the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission (NJDWSC), which oversees the largest regional water supply in the state of New Jersey.

Here's the latest in each town, as of Monday.

NUTLEY

Nutley still isn’t seeing any water issues related to last week’s break, Mayor Joseph Scarpelli told Patch on Monday.

“The repair has been made by North Jersey Water Supply Commission,” Scarpelli said, adding that the town may still see road closures as the area is cleaned up.

Nutley town officials issued their first statement about the break at 10 a.m. on Oct. 5. It read:

“The Township of Nutley is aware of a water line break in one of the main transmission supply lines in the area of Bloomfield Avenue and Church Street. These lines transverse Nutley from Bloomfield into Belleville. At this time, the water transmission line break does not appear to be that which supplies Nutley and there are no water issues with the Nutley water system. All transmission supply line authorities are assessing the situation to isolate the leak and make repair. The Nutley Water Department, Police, Fire and EMS are also on site to provide assistance as needed. Please expect road closures and detours in the area of Bloomfield Avenue from Centre Street to Church Street as authorities work to make the necessary repairs. We will provide additional information on the situation as more information is available.”

Nutley town officials gave an update on the situation on Oct. 7:

“As a follow up to our earlier alert, the water transmission line break has been identified as a 72-inch diameter line on the North Jersey District Water System. This line feeds many municipalities in Essex, Hudson and Passaic County. North Jersey District Water authorities and crews are on site assessing the situation to isolate the leak and begin repairs. This water transmission line does not supply Nutley and there are no water issues with the Nutley water system. The Nutley Water Department, Police, Fire and EMS are on site to provide assistance as needed. Please continue to expect road closures and detours in the area of Bloomfield Avenue from Centre Street to Church Street as authorities work to make the necessary repairs.”

BELLEVILLE

Belleville was also largely spared the frustration that its Essex County neighbors saw after the break, township manager Anthony Iacono told Patch on Monday.

“With the exception of low water pressure in some areas, we were very fortunate that the water break did not have any impact on Belleville,” Iacono said.

Belleville town officials previously released a statement about the break on Oct. 5, noting that there was no boil water advisory:

“Due to a water break in Nutley, some areas in Belleville are experiencing low water pressure. This break may cause water discoloration. At this time a ‘Boil Water’ advisory is NOT in effect.”

In a separate notice released last week, Belleville officials said that the town will be flushing its fire hydrants as part of routine maintenance from Oct. 11 to Oct. 13. Some residents may experience water discoloration and low pressure, officials said.

The areas that will be worked on are:

• Union Ave. to Washington Ave., from Greylock Ave. to the Nutley border
• Washington Ave. to Main St., from Joralemon St to Greylock Ave.

WATER MAIN BREAK: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

A spokesperson with the NJDWSC told Patch last week that crews have been on the job “around the clock” since the break took place, and have been working with local police and other public safety officials on traffic and other related issues.

“The exact reason for the compromise of the pipe is under investigation,” he added.

The break on the NJDWSC’s line also interrupted service on a separate Newark water main that runs next to it, Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller said last week.

Spiller said Sunday that the NJDWSC “seems to have made significant progress” and is “anticipating resolution in the very near future.” He added that it seems the leak has been located and sealed, and the agency is in the process of testing the lines and restoring water flow – which would likely take 24 to 48 hours.

Bloomfield town officials said the situation is "unprecedented," and affected three counties and more than 300,000 residents of North Jersey.

Montclair and Glen Ridge have each issued local states of emergency, asking residents to stop all “non-essential” use of water until the situation is fixed.

Amid the service issues, some towns have been helping their neighbors keep the water flowing, local officials say.

“Currently, we have connected our system with Cedar Grove and they are helping us with approximately 1,500 gallons per minute at this time,” Spiller said last week.

“Additionally, by connecting to Verona’s system, we have added 800 gallons per minute. Clifton is assisting us with 1,000 gallons per minute,” the town’s mayor added. “New Jersey American Water Company – a private company – has been able to add 600 gallons per minute to our system to also assist.”

Last week’s water main break come on the heels of another major break that took place in August. That break – which originated in Belleville – caused boil water advisories that lingered for days in the town, as well as Newark and Bloomfield. Read More: Huge Water Main Break Wreaks Havoc In 3 Essex County Towns

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page.