3 The leak that no one wants to fi x
Fresh Meadows residents stand with Weprin as assemblyman calls on city to plug water woes
QUEENS WEEKLY, JAN. 20, 2019
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Eastern Queens lawmakers
gathered with
Fresh Meadows residents
Jan. 13 demanding that
something finally be done
to fix a pervasive water
leak on 188th Street that’s
damaged the pipes of nearby
homes.
At least 32 private water
service lines along the
east side of 188th Street
and between 73rd Avenue
and the Grand Central
Parkway have failed since
2017 due to stray voltage
beneath the street.
The Department of Environmental
Protection
(DEP), which oversees
New York City’s water
system, has informed the
residents that repairing
or replacing the affected
pipes is the responsibility
of the home owners,
resulting in tens of thousands
of dollars in costs
for local residents.
At this point, the DEP
has indicated that Verizon
is likely the responsible
party. Still, little
has been done to alleviate
the problem.
On Jan. 14, state Assemblymembers
David
Weprin and Nily Rozic
sought to bring public
attention to the damage
and called on the city
and Verizon to take corrective
action.
They were joined at
the press conference by
City Councilmen Barry
Grodenchik and Costa
Constantinides, along
with members of the West
Cunningham Park Civic
Association and the Fresh
Meadows Homeowners
Civic Association, and
residents at the intersection
of 188th Street and
81st Avenue.
Rozic said Fresh Meadows
residents affected by
the water leaks have “suffered
damages, financial
loss, and unacceptable
conditions for years.”
“They deserve answers,”
said Rozic. “I
strongly urge the city and
Verizon to take responsibility
and necessary action
to finally resolve this
nightmare scenario facing
local homeowners.”
Since 2017, the DEP
has been utilizing the
services of an independent
consultant, Corr-
Tech, to identify the
source of the leaks.
In a 2018 report, the
consultant stated that the
leaks were not caused by
city infrastructure but
rather by stray voltage
from a private utility.
Specifically, the report
indicated that Verizon’s
infrastructure
was the probable cause
of the water line failures.
Since then, the state Public
Service Commission,
which regulates utilities
across New York state,
has requested additional
testing from Verizon and
DEP, in a letter to the company’s
general counsel,
has called for a concrete
course of action.
The Public Service
Commission is “currently
investigating the problem
and will take whatever action
is appropriate to address
the issue,” according
to a spokesman.
The Eastern Queens
elected officials strongly
urged Verizon to responsibly
address the matter in
a timely manner for both
the safety of the community
and the financial wellbeing
of the residents.
Weprin is also introducing
legislation in Albany
that would mandate
that homeowners be reimbursed
the full cost of
any repairs that are the
result damages from a
third party.
“It is unfair to our
neighbors to be burdened
by damages and costs that
are no fault of their own
but the fault of a multibillion
dollar corporation,”
said Weprin. “I call upon
Verizon not only to take
action and fix the stray
voltage issue but also to
provide restitution to the
homeowners who were
forced to pay out of pocket
for damages they caused.”
City Councilmen Barry Grodenchik and Costa Constantinides join State Assemblyman David I. Weprin, state Assemblywoman
Nily Rozic, and Fresh Meadows residents to discuss the stray voltage issue on 188th Street. Photos by Bruce Adler
Weprin inspects water leaking from underground at 188th
Street.
Community resident Richard Lerner shows a piece of corroded
pipe caused by the water leak.