Paterson Residents Struggle with Persistent Water Main Breaks

As of August 26th, 2025, residents of Paterson, New Jersey have been grappling with a persistent water crisis that has lasted for the past 18 days. The city has experienced three separate water main breaks during this period, leaving thousands of customers under a boil water advisory.

While service has been restored in the impacted communities, the repeated issues have left residents and businesses deeply skeptical of the city's water system. Many have resorted to buying water in bulk, questioning whether the tap water is safe to use even after boiling.

According to Paterson resident Flor Loveras, the water coming out of the taps is "brown" and "not safe for the community." The Passaic Valley Water Commission, which oversees the city's water infrastructure, has acknowledged the problems and stated that a flushing operation to improve water quality was underway before the most recent break occurred.

The commission's executive director, Jim Mueller, said they will resume the flushing process and work "24/7" to address the issues. However, he also noted that the necessary infrastructure improvements are "major projects" that will take time to ramp up, with the commission earmarking $800 million for these efforts.

Paterson's First Ward Councilmember Michael Jackson has criticized the city's leadership, claiming that they "wasted" the $80 million in CARES Act funding received during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could have been used to address the aging water infrastructure. The commission plans to start bidding on some of the improvement projects in the next six to nine months, but for now, Paterson residents continue to grapple with the ongoing water crisis.