Hoboken suffers third water main break in six days

HOBOKEN — Hoboken has suffered from three water main breaks in the last six days.
A water main broke in the upper northwest part of town, on Thirteenth Street between Madison and Jefferson streets, Sunday, Aug. 26 (see picture).
The day before, a 16-inch water main broke on Newark and Hudson streets, near the city’s southern border.
And residents were without water for several days earlier in the week after a main broke at the intersection of Observer Highway and Jefferson Street during the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 20.
Mayor Ravi Bhalla has ordered SUEZ Water to immediately end work on its water meter pit project in southwest Hoboken and other non-emergent operations until the cause of the frequent breaks has been fully investigated.
The city has been plagued by water main breaks throughout the years as some of the water mains are a century old.
The cast iron pipes become brittle as they age, making them more prone to breaks caused by pressure fluctuations, vibrations, or changes in temperature.
The city has started replacing and upgrading the aging infrastructure starting with water mains along Washington Street as part of the city’s $18.3 million Washington Street Redesign Project.