Discolored Tap Water, Road Closures Will Follow Park Slope Leak

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A leak in a massive water main that sent water flooding onto Fourth Avenue for hours on Wednesday will mean discolored tap water and several days of road closures for the neighborhood, officials said.

Officials with the Department of Environmental Protection were still working on turning off the water in the 72-inch-wide main around 4:40 p.m., nearly five hours after it first began spouting water onto Fourth Avenue between St. Marks Place and Bergen Street, according to a department spokesperson.

By 4:40 p.m. they had confirmed that the leak was caused by a private contractor's drill rig that hit the main, the spokesperson said

Because of its size, the water must be turned off slowly.

"Due to the size of the main and the volume of water it carries, it must be shut off slowly and DEP crews are completing that work now," DEP spokesperson Ted Timbers said.

Once the water is shut off completely, engineers can get to work assessing the damage and determining how long repairing the main will take, he said.

The private firm will foot the bill for the repairs, according to Timber.

The leak so far has impacted at least five properties in the area and shut down traffic on the block for hours on Wednesday afternoon, according to Council Member Brad Lander's office.

A few business owners told MSN they have 2 to 4 inches of water in their basements and no power Wednesday afternoon.

"I'm feeling very bad, I feel like crying," one building owner told the outlet. "My basement, every place has full water. I have a lot of materials are damaged."

Timbers said the road closures will likely last for several days as officials work on repairing the main.

He added that while water service hasn't been interrupted for customers yet, they may notice discolored tap water.

"Though it is not harmful, customers should avoid consuming obviously discolored water," Timbers said. "Crews will work to flush any discolored water from the system."

Anyone experiencing discolored water should fill out a 311 form, according to DEP.