Two N.J. towns declare state of emergency amid water main break

Montclair and Glen Ridge declared water emergencies on Saturday, asking residents and businesses to refrain from using water unless it is essential.

The states of emergency came as a massive water main break in Nutley has threatened to disrupt service for hundreds of thousands of people in Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties. In a message to residents, Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller said the township must reduce its water usage, or risk running out of water to meet its most critical needs.

Thank you for your efforts during this crisis, Spiller said in the online video. Each of you can make a huge difference in this moment.

A 72-inch water main that serves the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission was reported broken in Nutley on Wednesday, and a smaller main controlled by Newark Water Supply was also affected, officials said.

The ruptures forced communities, including Newark, to warn residents that there may be low water pressure or no water available in some areas. Bloomfield issued a boil-water advisory.

Montclairs state of emergency took effect at 3 p.m. Saturday. It prohibits the non-essential use of water and came as the township has scrambled to increase capacity by tapping into neighboring water systems, Spiller said.

Glen Ridges declaration said the borough was suffering a reduction in water supply and may suffer continued loss of water pressure. It ordered residents to use water only when absolutely necessary.

The North Jersey District Water Supply Commission had said repairs were expected to be completed by Friday evening. But Spiller said crews have been unable to stanch the problems, which he called devastating.

We are hearing that the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission has still yet to make any significant progress, Spiller said, as they are dealing with over 100-year-old pipes in that section and trying to close those 100-year-old valves that do not function properly..

Bill Maer, a spokesman for the water commission, said Saturday night that the water system is trying to make the fixes as soon as humanly possible.

Crews are working around the clock trying to identify the exact location in the water main that has been compromised, Maer said.

Maer declined to provide a new timeline for the repairs, but said the commission does not anticipate water problems getting worse.

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Riley Yates may be reached at ryates@njadvancemedia.com.