Public schools were closed on Tuesday and many Hoboken residents were without water following a water main break caused by contractors working on a gas main, city officials said.
Contractors working for the utility PSE&G broke through a water main in south Hoboken Monday morning, according to Mayor Ravinder Bhalla, causing widespread flooding, traffic disruptions and cutting off water to many homes in the city. PSE&G spokesperson Lauren Ugorji said the utility was investigating the incident.
By Tuesday morning, Hoboken’s Office of Emergency Management was urging drivers to avoid southwest Hoboken and to use northern routes to get into and out of the city. Veolia, the water company contracted by Hoboken, was still working to isolate the broken water main.
“They are getting closer to identifying the exact location of the break,” according to a city alert on Tuesday morning, but were having difficulty doing so due to the “complexity of the water main infrastructure at that location and the interconnectivity with Jersey City.”
Hoboken’s Public School district, which serves around 3,000 students at five schools, canceled classes for Tuesday, citing the “continued low or no water pressure.” Municipal offices also remained closed on Tuesday.
Veolia switched water sources to a feed from nearby Weehawken, so residents with water pressure in their homes should have drinkable water, according to city officials. But many homes, especially those on the upper floors of taller buildings, might still lack water or could have low water pressure.
Seven water stations were set up for people to collect water for drinking and cooking, but residents had to bring their own jugs. The Hoboken Fire Department had additional non-potable water for washing dishes, bathing, flushing toilets and showering.
