Bubbling Puddle Concerns Housing Authority Residents

No matter how hot and humid it gets, don't get your feet wet on the corner of Harrison and Third Streets. 

Residents of the Hoboken Housing Authority say that a puddle of water on that corner, simply does not go away. On Wednesday afternoon, the puddle had trash floating around in it and it bubbled constantly (which could be indicative of water coming up from the sewer).

There were no other puddles on other places of the street and it had not rained for at least two days on Wednesday afternoon. 

Kyelia Colon, an active resident of the HHA, said the puddle has been there at least since April. 

"It stinks," she said. 

When it rains, Colon said, the puddle becomes bigger. "They want their rent on time," said Colon, "but they can't finish doing what they got to do." 

On her cell phone, Colon has a video that she recorded from her window on Harrison Street during the last big rainstorm, which shows the streets completely flooded. A pump, which is supposed to relieve some of Hoboken's flooding problems, is currently being built on Observer Highway. The Fourth Ward—in which a large part of the Housing Authority is located—is known to be one of the most flood prone areas of the city.

Colon said she contacted Fourth Ward Councilman Michael Lenz about the issue last Friday. Colon said Lenz told her he'd write a letter to the editor at the Hudson Reporter about the puddle.

The issue of flooding, and unwanted water is a continuous one in the Housing Authority. Colon, and a group of other residents around her on Wednesday afternoon, wondered if the puddle forms a health hazard.

"This is one of my major issues," Colon said.