Paterson water main break: Water service recovered to all residents; full restoration could could take several more days

PATERSON, New Jersey (WABC) — City leaders and water officials in Paterson said they have recovered water service to all city residents Thursday evening, but some nearby communities may have to wait until Friday.

However, officials cautioned that recovered water service is not the same as normal restored water service, which will take longer.

“It is recovering faster than we thought it would, and we’re taking steps to make sure that’s optimized, we have to open hydrants to vent air, when water started to flow, we closed those hydrants so you’re not losing the water,” said Passaic Valley Water Commission Executive Director Jim Mueller.

Despite the progress made, officials say the lines are still being pressurized, and the boil water advisory will likely continue for another week.

Officials say the highest points in nearby towns are still without service, but PVWC aims to recover theirs by Friday morning.

The update on Thursday came after nearly 200,000 residents have been without water for a week after a major water main break near Hinchcliffe Stadium.

Those residents haven’t been able to cook, use sinks, toilets, showers or laundry machines.

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said some level of water pressure has been restored, but he urged residents to continue to conserve water.

“You have to conserve this water because we don’t want to regress, we’re making progress, we’re not back to normal just yet, we will get there, we will get there,” he said.

City leaders say the restoration of the water pressure has to be done in a systematic way so more harm is not caused to water mains.

They say crews are working around the clock to install a 30-inch pipe that will connect the bottom to the top of the system. It will take about three to four days, with the goal of near-full restoration by the end of the weekend.

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