UES Water Main Mishap Shoots Geyser Into Air

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A mishap involving a water main sent a jet of water shooting into the air on the Upper East Side Thursday afternoon, just steps from where last week's sinkhole opened up.

The incident, on East 87th Street near York Avenue, happened just before 2 p.m. when a private company working on a nearby home's water service line inadvertently pulled the line from the main, a spokesman for the city's Department of Environmental Protection told Patch.

Despite the proximity to the sinkhole, which happened two blocks north, the two incidents are not connected, the spokesman said.

Videos from the scene showed the murky water shooting into the air from an opening on the street and cascading down to the sidewalk below. Water also pours out of a fire hydrant as a truck from the company involved, Balkan Sewer and Water Main, sits parked nearby.

The FDNY was at the scene, with no reports of injuries or evacuations.

The main has been shut off so that the company can make repairs, the city spokesman said.

This is a breaking news story. Refresh for updates.

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• Upper East Side Sinkhole: 20-Foot Crater Startles Neighborhood