Officials: Water Pressure 'Back to Normal' in Fort Lee

United Water says emergency crews worked throughout the night, completing repairs Thursday morning on a 30-inch water main break in Englewood Cliffs that left parts of Fort Lee and neighboring towns with little to no water pressure Wednesday, forced some businesses on Fort Lee’s north end to close early and affected residents in high-rise buildings.

Fort Lee fire official Steve Curry said Thursday, “Everything in Fort Lee is back to normal as of this morning.”

“We’ve had no complaints, and all our buildings are open as normal,” Curry said.

Fort Lee Fire Chief Jeff Silver, a resident of the north end of town, said, “I know I had in Fort Lee low pressure this morning, but it’s a little bit better. I’m talking about residential pressure.”

United Water company officials said crews finished filling and pressurizing the transmission main Thursday afternoon, and that water pressure had returned to normal by about 2 p.m.

The break, which occurred around 1 p.m. Wednesday, sent water gushing along the highway near Hollywood Avenue and 9W in Englewood Cliffs.

The Fort Lee Fire Department set up a Tanker Task Force Wednesday to open valves and help restore water pressure.

Silver said he left the scene at about 8 p.m. Wednesday.

“The pressure in terms of public safety and fire safety was to the point where I was able to release my firefighters … and the tanker that was stationed in Fort Lee,” Silver said.

On Wednesday afternoon United Water issued an "urgent water conservation request," urging residents of Fort Lee, Palisades Park, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Tenafly and Leonia to use water "for essential purposes only."

On Thursday United Water advised residents of those towns "to continue to use water for essential purposes only until they are notified that normal water pressure has been restored."

Also on Wednesday the company issued a “boil water advisory,” which remained in effect Thursday morning, for customers in Englewood Cliffs, Englewood and Tenafly.

Now that normal pressure has been restored, laboratory personnel will take water quality samples to ensure the water is safe, company officials said.

“It typically takes between 24-48 hours to obtain results,” officials said in a statement issued Thursday morning. “They will be reported to the New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection which will issue the order to lift the advisory at the appropriate time.”