After repairing a major water main break impacting the water supplies of Briarcliff Manor, Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, the Sleepy Hollow DPW crew is at it again repairing an unrelated break at the intersection of New and North Broadway.
This already hectic, and possibly the most dangerous, intersection of the village, is now rendered chaotic. There's water gushing down the slope of North Broadway with cars splashing through. (Ironically they pass a "car wash" sign on the sidewalk as seen in the video here). DPW trucks are stationed around a growing hole, with cones and some Sleepy Hollow Fire Department vehicles to afford them more space along the end of Bedford Road.
DPW Foreman Richard Gross was only partially kidding when he said the water wasn't stopping cars from going 90 mph and splashing the workers — "and breaking our stuff," he added as a car skimming too close to a construction cone drove over a set of sound-dampening headphones.
The crew has been here since 3 or 3:30 a.m. Monday morning, digging down to access an 8-inch main line laid "back in 1925," said Gross, and therefore lacking a valve to control flow. Gross said the Legacy Valve company would be arriving to install such a valve shortly.
Gross said the Sleepy Hollow Police Department notified him personally in the middle of the night, and his workers have been here ever since.
An email alert got sent to Village residents that some may experience brown water, and to let it run until clear.
Despite all the water flowing down Broadway, Gross did confirm the supply was not threatened at this time. The brown water, however, is par for the course. "Any main break effects the entire distribution system."
Gross estimated that the line would be repaired in the next few hours, and he urged the drivers to go slow. The Village again asked that residents conserve water until the problem is fixed.
Across town at the Tarrytown Lakes, the men dealt with a major break from late-night Thursday through Saturday. Though that 30-inch "transmission" line comes from the Aqueduct and feeds three village pump stations, Sleepy Hollow workers were the first on the scene around 11 p.m. Thursday night so they finished the job, said Gross.
That break was due to an old clamp that "just let loose," Gross said. DPW installed a new stainless steal repair clamp, the system was put back online Saturday, and our reservoir was able to fill again by Sunday.
"These systems are over 100 years old, some over 100 years," he said. "It happens."
Stay tuned with Patch for updates.
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