Water Main Break and a Leaky Valve in Scarsdale

The Village Water Department shut down water service on Rural Drive in Scarsdale today to repair a water main break there that was affecting customers within a half mile of the leak. According to a Rural Drive woman, workers from the Department of Public Works worked through the night to repair it. Here's a photo taken outside her home of rushing water on Rural Drive. Residents in the surrounding area reported a lack of water pressure and discolored yellow water on the night of January 29.

The Scarsdale Water Department completed the repair at noon on Wednesday, but warns residents that when water service resumes they may still have discolored water. They recommend that residents run the cold water for a minute or two to see if it becomes clear and to use a sink in the basement, near the entrance of the waterline to the house. Keep checking it approximately every hour until it clears.

Though the water is disinfected the Water Department recommends that residents wait for it to clear up completely before drinking it or cooking with it. They said that the discolored water may stain clothes in the washer and warned customers to avoid using the hot water when the cold water is discolored because it could draw sediment into the hot water system and this sediment may end up settling in the bottom of the water tank. They recommend that residents "minimize the flushing of toilets in order to reduce the risk of potential clogging of small tubes and devices within the toilet."

After making the repair, workers had to backfill a huge hole that was caused by the rushing waters.

At 4:45 pm on Wednesday January 30, the Village also reported that a leaky valve had to be repaired on Harvest Drive, forcing the Village to turn off the water there. The Village did not provide a timetable for the completion of the work.

Photo Credit: Yale Buchwald