By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Wednesday, January 30, 1991
The Record (New Jersey) | One Star | NEWS | Page A03
The water flow slowed to a trickle for borough residents Tuesday morning after a predawn water main break, causing state environmental officials to issue a precautionary boil-water order and school to be canceled for the day.
Until further notice, Lodi’s 24,000 residents have been advised to boil water for about 5 minutes before drinking it, using it for cooking, or ingesting it any other way, said Lt. Edward Sturm, Bergen County deputy emergency management coordinator.
Wendell Inhoffer, Passaic Valley Water Authority superintendent and chief engineer, said a 24-inch cast-iron pipe near the Saddle River behind Felician College broke about 5 a.m., causing water pressure for the authority’s 5,000 customers in the borough, including households, apartment buildings, and businesses, to drop.
Much of the pressure was restored to all users by about 7 a.m., he said.
Inhoffer said it was unclear what caused the break but added that the age of the pipe, which was installed in 1942, was probably a factor.
After investigators found the break, water was diverted to other lines while workers repaired the main, Sturm said.
The Hackensack Water Co., for instance, opened a 12-inch interconnecting main that it has with the authority at Terhune Avenue for residents in the southern end of the borough, said Cindy Munley, a spokeswoman for the company. The pipe will be kept open until the Passaic Valley Water Authority is able to resume service, Munley said.
Phone calls concerning the pipe break lit up the police switchboard.
“I must have had 3,000 calls this morning from people complaining that they had no water,” Lodi Police Sgt. Richard Blachfield said. Many of the callers were upset because they couldn’t take a shower, Blachfield said.
“I told them we’d send over a case of Perrier water and they could take a bath,” Blachfield said.
Schools Superintendent Robert Polisse said that, on advice of Acting Police Chief John Pizzuro and out of concern for the health, safety, and welfare of the students, he ordered schools closed for the day.
The Record’s wire services contributed to this report.
Keywords: LODI; WATER; SUPPLY
Caption: 2 PHOTOS – STEVE HOCKSTEIN / THE RECORD 1 – Worker, top, damming water with sandbags after main break in Lodi early Tuesday. 2 – By 9 a.m., concerned residents had bought up nearly all the bottled water in an aisle at Main Street Acme, below.
Notes: 1 of 2 versions
ID: 17331302 | Copyright © 1991, The Record (New Jersey)
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