A water main break created significant problems last night in many parts of town. Even though New Rochelle is served by a private water company, many residents do – understandably – contact the City for information or with questions. So to clear up some uncertainty, I just recorded this City-wide robo-call:
This is a message from the City of New Rochelle concerning last night’s water main break. Although the line has been repaired, many residents may still receive discolored water for the remainder of the day. The private water company for our area, Suez New York, suggests running a cold water faucet in the lowest level of the house to clear sediment, and recommends against running hot water or using the laundry until the line is clear. The water is, however, completely safe to drink, even if discolored. For more information, please contact Suez directly at 877-266-9101 or visit their website www.mysuezwater.com/westchester/standard-home.
And here’s some more detail directly from the Suez website (a little outdated, because I am told that water service has been restored to all residential customers):
SUEZ crews are repairing a 16 inch water main on Cedar Street in New Rochelle in harsh weather conditions. Customers in New Rochelle, Pelham and other areas may have low water pressure, no water or discolored water. The discolored water is the result of harmless sediment stirred up in the mains. Repairs will take several hours and crews will remain on site until service is restored. SUEZ apologizes for the inconvenience.
Discolored water caused by iron and manganese sediment has no health impact. Even though your water may be discolored, it continues to meet state and federal drinking water standards. Understandably, you may prefer to wait until it clears before using it.
Run a cold water faucet at the lowest level of the house for a few minutes or try running the cold water in the bath tub. If the water does not clear, wait an hour or two and repeat the process. After the water clears, flush the cold water faucets throughout the house. If the water doesn’t clear after a few hours, please contact SUEZ at 877-266-9101.