Niagara Falls. NY - Some Niagara Falls residents want to know why a water leak has not yet been repaired despite calls and messages to the water board and even City Hall. They're worry that leak may cause more problems for their street. 2 on Your Side went looking for some answers.
AnnLouise Carosella says there are several factors that worry her about a water leak in front of her home on West Rivershore Drive: "Just the waste of water during this drought and the splashing of the vehicles onto other properties," she says.
Her concern flows from that leak in water pipes on West Rivershore Drive in Niagara Falls. Some residents say it's been like this for two months. It started as a small leak in the center of the street and then gushed forth from the curb. So after calls to the Water Board and even Mayor Dyster...the response? Arnie Littlewood says
"They didn't do nothin'. They just put paint on the curb over there If you go over there and look where it's comin' out. What do they figure...it's gonna stop on it's own?"
There's a larger concern for some as Carosella says, "I just worried about the road collapsing. This road was horrible for what...20 years and they finally milled and overlayed it last year. And they did not do any water line repair work. And yeah...they just put a band-aid on it."
2 on Your Side then went to the Niagara Falls Water Board to speak with Executive Director Paul Drof. We asked "They were concerned that the water running down the side of the street there, right by the curb line, might undermine the street. Is that a concern for you?
Drof says this street in the Cayuga Island area off the river has a high water table and certain soil conditions that cause pipes to deteriorate. He says crews flushed and cleaned some nearby pipes for better flow and pressure.
Drof says the Water Board was notified about the leak July 11th. We shot a video last week after residents contacted us. So why not fix it sooner? Drof says, "Since that one is not water pressure or water quality in that area is not a high priority leak. We are well aware of it. We're trying to move it up on the priority. Later this week you said ? Later this week. It is scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday."
A spokesman for Mayor Dyster also says city DPW crews will then follow up with any needed road repairs when the Water Board work is finished.