Residents of Rohr Place have had to contend with household water containing sediments coming into their homes. Now, new connections to an existing water main will make it easier for work crews to fix any problems that may occur underground.
The Department of Environmental Protection will add connections to an existing eight-inch water pipe. Some of the homes on the block were already connected to that water main, while others were connected to an older six-inch water main.
DEP spokeswoman Mercedes Padilla said that the project is designed to phase out the six-inch water main, which is older and further under the ground, making it difficult to reach.
“The six-inch water main only services a few consumers [on the street],” Padilla said. “The eight-inch water main was installed in 1957. There were two water mains serving the block, but now there will be just one.”
After a water-main break on Brush Avenue on March 16, some residents of Rohr Place said they started getting tea-colored water from heir faucets, according to JoAnn Sohmers, president of the Ferry Point Civic Association, Inc. The issue may or may not be related to the need for new water main connections.
“DEP came into the area and opened the hydrants to clean the sediment in the water out, but after a few hours it became dirty again,” said Sohmers, a resident of Rohr Place.
Work began on Wednesday, April 29 to make new connections to the existing eight-inch water main under Rohr Place, according to Sohmers
While Sohmers was initially very concerned about the situation, it appears that the new connections to the houses on the street, including her own, are making the water cleaner.
“DEP has really have been working long hours to fix a situation,” Sohmers said. “The water is coming out much cleaner. So far the water is so very nice, and I am hoping that it stays that way.”
