Water Pipe Mishap Causes Overnight Flooding at Resiliency Construction Site
On Tuesday evening, June 30, around 8pm, a crew from Turner Construction, working on the North/West Resiliency Project managed by the Battery Park City (BPCA), accidentally ruptured an underground water pipe near the foot of South End Avenue. The mishap shut down water service in surrounding buildings, including Two South End Avenue, 70 Battery Place, and 50 Battery Place, for approximately 12 hours, and caused shallow flooding as water pooled near the intersection of South End Avenue and Third Place.
By 9:30pm, Notify NYC had sent out a general alert about a “water condition” at the foot of South End Avenue, and the neighborhood chat group kicked into high gear, exchanging information about impacts of the broken pipe and voicing concerns about lack of water in record-breaking heat. Residents peered from their windows and gathered at the site to watch repair efforts. Construction workers worked through the night to fix the pipe and pump away some—but not all—of the pooled water. On Wednesday morning, a family of local ducks took up residence in the newly created, temporary pond.
BPCA spokesman Nick Sbordone said, “at approximately 8pm on Tuesday, June 30, there was a break in the water line at Third Place near South End Avenue. Onsite with our partners at the Department of Environmental Protection and the Fire Department, our contractor worked overnight to make repairs. Water service was restored shortly before 7am, Wednesday, July 1.”
The BPCA’s North/West Resiliency project seeks to create an integrated coastal flood risk management system (consisting largely of flood walls and deployable gates) stretching from First Place (near South Cove), running north along the esplanade, across to the east side of West Street, and terminating at a high point in Tribeca, near North Moore and Greenwich Streets. The initiative is budgeted at approximately $1.6 billion and is expected to take at least five years.