[UPDATE] Peekskill Mayor: Water Returned to Hudson View; Health Officials to Determine Quality

UPDATE, Noon:

Editor's Note: Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster released the following statement regarding water service at the Hudson View Estates Sunday at 11:37 a.m.

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"Water service was returned to Hudson View Estates about an hour ago, but residents should not drink it. Hudson View's tanker truck will arrive in an hour to provide potable water. 

"Crews are working on fixing the two breaks detected last night on Lakeview and have just detected a third break further up near Peekskill Tower. Crews have started working on it now. 

"Emergency Management volunteers are on their way to help the affected residents (especially the elderly) and to direct traffic around the site. 

"A fresh water tanker will remain on site at Peekskill Towers and at Hudson View Estates until tap water is safe and the County Health Department gives the 'all-clear.'

"Please check in on your neighbors, especially the elderly, and report emergencies to the police department. The community continues to handle this difficult situation well."

Mayor Foster will be on-site intermittently throughout the day to answer questions from area residents.  Information pertaining to the water main break is continually changing. The City will continue to provide updates.

UPDATE, 6 a.m. Sunday: 

Editor's Note: Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster released the following statement regarding the water services at the Hudson View Estates Saturday night.

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"Water was restored to Peekskill Tower prior to 11:00 a.m. Saturday, but a leak remains somewhere in the system. Using an electric pump, the Water Department was unable to generate sufficient pressure to properly service the tower. To help, we've deployed a fire engine on Garfield Street to pressurize the line.  

"A tanker truck remains in the area of Peekskill Tower providing potable water for those without.

"The City Water Department will be working overnight with the assistance of a 'water leak detection specialist' to pinpoint the source of the leak." 

Mayor Foster was also critical of Hudson View Estates' property management team for failing to activate their supplemental pump, restoring water pressure to the complex: 

"Hudson View Estates has work to do to pressurize their internal water system. A temporary water line was installed Friday by the management company's private contractor. As of 3:00 p.m. Saturday, the management company had not started work to drain their water system, connect the temporary line, and to pressurize water lines to all their other buildings. And although the property manager stated they would deploy a tanker for their residents, they have not done so yet. There is water flowing to the Hudson View Estates property from the city's water main. The management company needs to activate their supplemental system to pump adequate pressure to their buildings and I'm calling for immediate action."

Hudson View's supplemental system was disturbed when Building E was destroyed in Thursday's blaze. A temporary water line was built to circumvent that building Friday. The Board of Health has been contacted by the City Water Department to ensure Hudson View's management complies with Board of Health rules. 

"My thanks to the affected residents who have handled this difficult situation well and to our city crews and fire department who are working hard to restore water service as quickly as possible."

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Update, 12:45:

The following release was sent by the City of Peekskill.

Crews are on the job working to fully restore water service to buildings that neighbor Thursday's fire scene.  Currently, Peekskill Tower has water, but other buildings in the Hudson View complex do not. The City has arranged for tanker trucks to temporarily distribute potable water to affected residents. City crews continue to assist Hudson View's property managers in restoring water service.

Fire crews remain on the scene addressing any "flair ups." 

Update, 11:45:  A tanker water truck has been parked inside the Peekskill Towers for the use of residents at Hudson View Estates and Peekskill Towers.

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Water was expected to be restored to residents in the area of Lakeview Drive by 8 p.m, Thursday, according to Brian Havranek, Peekskill’s acting city manager.   

 But a boil water advisory will still in effect for Garfield Street, Pemart Avenue, Catherine Street, Lakeview Drive and Marion Avenue and will remain in effect for at least the next two days.

Havranek also said that the apartment building that was destroyed by the fire also served as the place where the supplemental water system for the rest of the Hudson View Estates complex was pressurized. 

“Even when we have that water turned back on, four of the units will have that water until we bypass the effected unit,” Havranek said.

Havranek said the Water Department was retrofitting some of the fire hydrants with a hose adopter so that residents in the complex could have access to potable water until the issue is fixed, which could happen sometime today or tomorrow.” 

Thursday's fire destroyed an apartment building containing 14 units and 25 residents. No one was injured during the fire and building has since been razed.

Foster said Hudson View Estates, when it was built in the 1960s, was built to every code that was required and is a safe complex. 

“Yes, it is one elevation and in the construction of that and in look at contingency plans for firefighting, there have been a number of protocols that have been put in place for decade on how to fight fires in the City of Peekskill on high elevations,” Foster said. “Today was no different from any other day. Our fire department did exactly what the protocols required.”

Low water pressure at the nearest hydrant caused firefighters to go downhill to another—and then a water main broke. But Foster said firefighters didn't lose water at any point during the fire scene.

"After the water main break, water flowed at a lower pressure to the fire scene," Foster said. "The Fire Department acted proactively and both tapped into other water lines on Highland Avenue and also supplemented water via a brigade of mutual aid tankers that responded as part of a carefully executed contingency plan."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.