Paterson & Fair Lawn, NJ Water Main Break: Crews Restore Service Amidst Aging Infrastructure

Water Main Break and Repair Efforts

• 💧 Crews are working 24/7 to repair a 42-inch water main break in Paterson, New Jersey.
• ⚡ This break is impacting approximately 18,000 customers in the Riverside section of Paterson and the borough of Fair Lawn.
• 🗺️ Efforts are underway to reroute water from other areas to restore service to affected customers as quickly as possible.

Aging Infrastructure Challenges

• ⏳ The water system involved is estimated to be 120 to 140 years old, dating back to the late 1800s.
• 🚧 Repairing the break has been very difficult due to significant water flow and the age of the infrastructure.

Infrastructure Upgrades and Future Work

• 💰 The Paic Valley Water Commission has approved hundreds of millions of dollars for system upgrades.
• 🗓️ The first phase of these major capital investments is expected to begin within the next 6 to 9 months.
• 🌱 These upgrades are described as a much-needed injection of capital into a system that has lacked investment for decades.

Service Restoration and Advisories

• ⏱️ Water is expected to be restored to the Riverside section of Paterson and Fair Lawn later this afternoon.
• ⚠️ Customers will be under a boil water advisory until the commission indicates otherwise.