The first report of the break came just before 6 a.m. as witnesses reported water flowing along Seventh Street and the sidewalks.
For now, the 9th Precinct reports that there isn't any northbound traffic on First Avenue from Fourth Street to 10th Street ... Seventh Street is closed from Avenue A to First Avenue (Seventh Street west of First Avenue was already closed for ongoing demoliton work after the fire on the southeast corner of Second Avenue on Dec. 5)
Ugh. What a mess. William Kalyer took these photos looking south on First Avenue from St. Mark's Place...
Updated 10:45 a.m.
The repair and cleanup continues...
The break sent a rush of brown mucky water along Seventh Street toward Avenue A...
Several businesses are closed for now, including McDonald's and International Bar on First Avenue.
On 6th Street (1st/A), my water was discolored for a while but now looks okay. I do wonder when/if it will be safe to drink etc.
ReplyDeleteThis is at least the 3rd water main break on Manhattan in the last few days. Coincidence?
ReplyDeleteIt is really common when there is a big fluctuation in temperature. Freezes or thaws. In the last couple weeks we've had more than one of each.
DeleteWTF is going on with this neighborhood? Too much damage and disturbances especially with the fire on 7th and 2nd. Now this? 2020 just keeps giving and giving.
ReplyDeleteI live on 12th and A and my water has tasted weird for a week or so. Like grass or something. Anyone else experiencing this?
ReplyDeleteYup. 9th Street and 1st. Tastes like....dirt.
Delete11th Street same issue about a month. Here's an article. Hope it helps. I'm still drinking mine. https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/tap-water-tasting-funny-nyc-heres-why
Delete@1:13 I noticed an occasional smell when I'd drink a glass of water for a week. I didn't notice a different taste.
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ReplyDeleteTap water has been weird for a while. Emailed the DEP and got a quick phone call(!!!) back. There's construction upstate having to do with the water tunnels, yes there's a taste but it's "tested every day" and they have "no idea" when it will be finished. Letting me know it wasn't the building or local construction.
And yeah what's up with 7th street? Supernatural explanations with local references appreciated.
In the past FDNY has told me that some electrical issues and water main breaks can be caused by salt (after snowstorms) corroding the pipes. Could be the cause here.
ReplyDeleteAbout the taste of water,the news had a segment the other day saying the Catskill supply's (our usual water supply)main was temporarily shut down for maintenance and the water was coming from the Croton reservoir and the taste of the water is different.... So there's your answer!
ReplyDeleteMy water tastes weird, and I saw a truck from a place called EcoLab in front of my building the other day. I was wondering if they were here to do a test on the water. I am nervous drinking it when it tastes like this, but I am also nervous about going to the store to get bottled water.
ReplyDeleteOur water has tasted musty and weird for the last week or so.
ReplyDeleteI live on this stretch and it's just been one disaster after another. Fire, flood, storm damage. I took a walk this afternoon and the whole area looks like a disaster zone. So depressing.
ReplyDeleteRe the taste of the tap water, someone posted about it on the EV Neighbors fb page: https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww1.nyc.gov%2Fsite%2Fdep%2Fnews%2F081220%2Fdep-shuts-down-catskill-aqueduct-important-rehabilitation-project%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3wxStJP5CupoDOvXBbtXw3mX_vyK9IxAWyHl-_71yywZKXmDPie5DkhOI&h=AT167WAAv2R7QCYQROpacY3fT2XFzugz5legSHZFeUrmmNqI2bRNnMbVYMoJf5wZdWBsMwxnGJTD4snIh4TPOCRMBaOHrmb9y28uMWCX5Zv2grwXz2n_NczE9CJm4NvlGi8mdj_yruSyE5Nmex6H
ReplyDeleteAs others have mentioned, it's due to repairs to the Catskill tunnels. I called 311 last fall when the same thing happened - it's apparently a seasonal thing - and, like @yetanothercommenter, got a quick (!!) call back from someone at the DEP who explained it in detail. He assured me that it's safe to drink but it is pretty gross. He didn't know how long the construction would last but I think that this is the 3rd fall in a row that there's been a problem. It's not a short-term construction project. This year didn't seem as bad, thankfully. And with the cold weather, all of the plant matter should be dying off and sinking to the bottom so we will hopefully be back to normal soon (at least, water-wise).
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