Christmas Eve may be the worst day in the world to have to call a plumber. It's even worse to have no water at all.
But countless Montclair water customers are without the wet stuff today due to a water main break on Upper Mountain Avenue near Watchung. A beleaguered Montclair Water Department is busy manning the phones and promising to rush workers to the scene.
If you're in a household without water, let us know how it's crimping your ice-cube making, how many relatives are lined up outside the bathroom... and when it indeed comes back on.
UPDATE FROM MAYOR REMSEN:
It's not "countless" residents as you state - it's very limited to Upper Mountain between Berkely and Watchung - it was the smaller 12" main, not the 24" big one; some folks on the downside took water in their basements.Town staff is digging it up as we speak (1 pm) and will have it repaired by later today.
UPDATE ABOUT THE HOLE
And here come pictures of the big hole in the ground created by the water main break. Here, a Montclair fire van falls into the hole on Upper Mountain Ave. around 11 am, and it takes Roach's Towing more than an hour to extract it. Around 2:45, a bicyclist takes a picture of the same hole, now excavated for pipe repair.
MAYOR REMSEN:
It's not "countless" residents as you state...
So how many IS it??