Sinkhole on Lower East Side leaves residents, businesses without water

A sinkhole opened on Madison Street on the Lower East Side, leaving 150 residents and 10 business without water for most of the day on May 3, 2017. Photo Credit: Katie Burton

A massive sinkhole opened on Madison Street around 8 a.m. Wednesday, leaving 150 residents and 10 businesses without water, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

A temporary fix was made to the 12-inch water main, DEP said, though the cause of the break is still under investigation. The lane-wide hole ruined the day for most businesses on the block between Rutgers and Jefferson Streets.

Ling Hong, an employee at Madison Street Laundromat, said she and her co-workers heard nothing unusual Wednesday morning and couldn’t believe the moment they saw a fountain springing from the street outside.

“Water was shooting higher than the door,” Hong said. “We had to do our business at another laundry.”

A few doors down, Fancy Nails Salon saw almost no customers during what is usually the busiest part of the day.

“Without water there’s nothing we can do,” said manager Sam Lang. “People heard there was no water, so nobody came.”

The chaos didn’t stop one Fancy Nails regular, though, who found a silver lining in the fiasco.

“I’m not saying I’m glad, but I’m glad!” said Michelle Cox, who lives in the neighborhood. “It’s usually packed in here.”

Water was restored to the entire area by 2:30 p.m.