Eastchester Water Main Break Causing Local Headaches

A water main break in Eastchester has resulted in discolored water in thousands of Harrison homes.

The leak occurred Friday afternoon, said Westchester Joint Water Works (WJWW) Manager Anthony Conetta, when United Water, who services the Eastchester area, reported a possible water main break that wasn’t on their lines.

The leak is located on White Plains Rd. near Lake Isle in Eastchester.

Due to re-routing of water within the WJWW system, discolored water is being experienced throughout the WJWW system, which includes Harrison and several surrounding communities, according to a statement on the WJWW website.

Several homeowners in Harrison sent messages to Patch Saturday morning, saying their homes are experiencing water problems. Those people were still reporting brown water at 3 p.m.

The discoloration could last several hours, according to the statement from WJWW. In the meantime, the water is safe to use, but it is recommended that residents don't use hot water or do laundry until to problem is fixed.

Since gas lines run underneath the ground nearby where the break occurred, Con Edison had temporarily shut down gas service to some Eastchester residents but has since restored service to most customers.

“We then checked out our 30 main, which is very deep, and it took time to get down to it because of the need to shore up the hole in order to ensure safety,” said Conetta, about the line that services the Villages of Larchmont and Mamaroneck and Town of Mamaroneck.

The Town of Eastchester has opened a warming center at Lake Isle for the roughly 320 households still without gas.

Drivers should avoid this area today, as there will be continued restrictions as crews work in the area. 

To avoid lengthy service interruptions, WJWW is rerouting water through other parts of their system and interconnections such as United Water.

“Once we isolate the pipe segment with the leak we will replace it. We’re not yet sure how long this will take but during this time customers are expected to have water from other parts of WJWW’s system and interconnections,” said Conetta.

For further updates, please check the WJWW's website here.