What Caused Water Main Break Near Hoboken/Jersey City Border?

HOBOKEN, NJ — Last week's major water main break near the Jersey City/Hoboken border occurred nearly two years after another massive break near the border that cut service to Hoboken.

Last week's break, on 18th Street in Jersey City, delayed the opening of schools in Hoboken for 90 minutes last Tuesday, and forced residents to boil drinking water through early Friday.

Two years ago, the break on the Hoboken side of the border, on Feb. 27, 2023, closed schools for a day and took a week to fix, forcing some restaurants to shut for several days.

This year, Veolia Water was able to switch Hoboken's supply so the water came from Weehawken, but residents were still encouraged to boil water until the order ended Friday morning.

Was there a reason that both breaks happened in February?

Veolia Responds

Veolia spokesman Chris Halleron said on Friday, "In February 2023, a contractor working for another utility struck the water main with a backhoe. That was not the case this week."

He added, "We are still investigating the root causes of this latest disruption."

Patch will update this story when new information is received.

More Breaks Coming?

The city has said that more water main breaks could happen soon due to potential pressure fluctuations as Veolia Water flushes the hydrants to stabilize pressure.

"Residents who experience discoloration and possible sediment should flush taps with cold water until it runs clear," the city said.

There was no "boil water" advisory in Jersey City.

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