Syracuse residents dealing with low water pressure

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Low water pressure mainly affects high-rise homes. But some residents have told CNY Central that their single-family homes are being affected, too.

A lot of the trouble became noticeable after strong and severe storms rolled through Central New York, including the Syracuse area, on the afternoon of March 16.

Mike Colwell has lived in the Strathmore section of Syracuse for the past 40 years. He said he’s never seen water issues like this.

“We had a severe drop Sunday evening,” Colwell said. “I had noticed Sunday afternoon that the pressure was declining and Sunday evening we had no water for a couple of hours.”

The 100-year-old water system has had a rough season. The system suffered about 115 water breaks, according to the City of Syracuse.

Chief Operating Officer of Syracuse Conor Muldoon said the cause of the low pressure is due to a multitude of reasons.

The wind on March 16 was so strong, that one of the water intakes at Skaneateles Lake had to close down due to turbidity concerns. The lake provides a majority of Syracuse’s water.

The windstorm also caused power outages in the area, which impacted pump stations. Leaky pipes were another cause of the low water pressure, along with a significant water main break on 7th North St. on Sunday.

“All of those factors combined brought it to a pitch point for our system,” Muldoon said

The city does not plan to restrict residents’ access to water as of Tuesday. Yet, it does not have a timeline for when the pressure will be back to normal.

“It’s an inconvenience,” Mike Colwell said. “We pay our taxes. It’s pretty serious when we don’t have any water.”