Hoboken files lawsuit against water company

HOBOKEN — Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 29, attorneys for the city of Hoboken filed a lawsuit against Suez Water in New Jersey Superior Court. This comes after the city suffered 15 water main breaks in the last six weeks. The city and Suez have held dueling press conferences about the situation.
Suez water officials say the main breaks are due to the age of the infrastructure, as some of the pipes are over a century old. The city has said they plan to investigate to determine whether or not the breaks are due to Suez’s recent construction and installation of a new water meter and vault in the city’s southwest.
The lawsuit aims to force Suez to provide the city with all studies, reports, and plans on this southwest construction, any investigation as to the cause of the water main breaks, any claims of cost incurred for the water main breaks, and all records from this year of any pressure testing, hydrant flushing, or valve exercising.
The lawsuit also states that Suez must create a plan for determining the cause of the recurring water main breaks which will then be reviewed and approved by the city.
For more information on the lawsuit and the city’s water main breaks, look to an upcoming edition of the Hoboken Reporter. For (many) past stories on the breaks and their cause, use the search engine at hudsonreporter.com.