The leak that no one wants to fi x
Fresh Meadows residents stand with Weprin as assemblyman calls on city to plug water woes
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Eastern Queens lawmakers
gathered with Fresh Meadows
residents on Sunday 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,”
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. Photo by Bruce Adler
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.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–
4526.
Weprin inspects water leaking
from underground at 188th
Street. Photo by Bruce Adler
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