Water Main Breaks Behind High School

A water main broke behind the high school this morning, sending a geyser shooting into the air and leaving a crater in the turf field.

The fire department initially started getting reports of low water pressure or no water in different areas, mostly in the Glenwood and Hartshorn areas, then they got a call from the school district saying there was a water spout behind the high school between the stadium and the school, said Battalion Chief Ed Wade.

New Jersey American Water knew there was a leak and was attempted to find it at the time the pipe burst behind the high school, Wade said. Crews came in and shut the water off and redirected the line.

“If It had been another 20 feet away it would have happened on dirt and there would really be no damage,” said Director of Building and Grounds John Van. “But these things happen.”

Van said he’d been getting calls from schools about low water pressure and then got a call about a leak on the field and he went to check it out. While he was doing that the pipe – which is estimated to be about 70 to 100 years old – burst, he said.

“It was a good 8 or 9 feet into the air and it threw out quite a bit of rocks,” he said. “It was something.”

The water that was shooting out of the ground apparently came out of a main line and it was draining some of the water out of the Hartshorn Drive water tower, Wade said.

“New Jersey American Water Company has turned the water supply to the leaking water main off and redirected this water supply to the township via another water main,” Wade said in an update afterward. “Residents should have no noticeable water issues now that the leak has been stopped.

New Jersey American Water has advised us that there is no need to boil water because of the leak.”

Police and firefighters will continue to monitor the situation, Wade said, and further updates will be posted on the township’s website.

The district has no damage estimates yet but repair crews are pulling up the turf carpet and repairing the pipes this afternoon, Van said.

“The kids thought it was cool, but all I could think was that this was going to cost us and it was going to make a lot of people unhappy, including me. It’s going to be an all day deal.”