Homes Without Water And Basements Flooded After Water Main Bursts

A water main on Upper Mountain Avenue blew out early yesterday morning, damaging some homes and leaving dozens of residents without heat or water for hours, according to municipal officials.

The burst pipe send at least a half-million gallons of water onto North Mountain Avenue and surrounding streets, and into residents' basements, according to Municipal Utilities Director Gary Obszarny.

Asked about the cause of the break — which occurred at 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 29 — Obszarny said he could only speculate, though he added that the damage occurred in a high-pressure area of Montclair.

Water pressure in Montclair ranges from 50 to 160 pounds-per-inch, he said. The break occurred in an area that experiences pressure of 140 pounds-per-inch.

"So obviously the water mains underneath are a little more stressed," Obszarny said.

He added: "With 150 miles of pipe [townwide], this happens."

After the break, traffic was detoured on North and Upper Mountain avenues between Watchung Avenue and Berkeley Place, but resumed by 1 p.m. Obszarny said water was restored to residents at 1:10 p.m.

After restoring water service, Obszarny said municipal workers would start cutting out the piece of burst pipe and installing a new section.

He anticipated it being "a busy day," he said.

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