A homeowner on W 147 St. in Manhattan was issued a NYC DEP 3 day notice on Saturday afternoon; the DEP visit left the homeowner completely puzzled as they had no signs of a water main leak. The only link to a potential leak was a small dip in the roadway which was assessed and concluded that it was due to a slow water main leak.
The homeowner was referred to a licensed water main contractor who was scheduled to make an on-site visit late Saturday afternoon. The water main contractor performed a test using listening equipment that determines the flow of water resulting in a distinctive noise pattern. The water main line was completely silent, there were no vibrations or rumblings that could be heard coming off of the water line which would normally be heard in the case of a leak.
The homeowner was made aware of the water main contractor’s diagnosis and was directed to call 311 with the CSR reference number to explain the situation and the water main contractors findings.
The NYC DEP came back to the homeowner’s house within 14 hrs to further investigate. They proceeded to excavate the roadway to locate the tap connection belonging to the homeowner; the DEP located the tap and turned the tap off to determine if the leak was coming from the homeowner’s water main line. If the water leak stopped upon turning off the tap, the homeowner would be responsible for fixing the water line. If the tap was turned off and the leak continued, the DEP would have to further investigate the cause of the leak.
Upon turning off the homeowners tap, the leak did not stop which was a relief for the homeowner however, this required additional investigation for the DEP field crew. After several hours and additional excavation of the roadway, the outcome was unexpected and one that is not common. The previous homeowner had a fire sprinkler line running into the roadway which had been legally “plugged” and taken off of record. It turns out that the licensed water main contractor who capped the old sprinkler service never completed the process and had not completely closed the old tap connection, leaving a very small leak over several years which caused the small sink hole in the roadway.
Important information
The NYC DEP is accurate when issuing 99% of their 3 day notices; this is a rare occurrence as the DEP field crew are extremely knowledgeable and experienced. If you have any questions or concerns regarding a 3 day notice you should call a NYC water main contractor to provide a free estimate.
Brief History of Hamilton Heights NYC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Hudson RiverHamilton Heights is a neighborhood in West Harlem, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It lies between Manhattanville to the south and Washington Heights to the north.[1] It contains the neighborhood of Sugar Hill.
Hamilton Heights is bounded by 135th Street to the south, the Hudson River to the west, 155th Street to the north, and Edgecombe Avenue to the east. The community derives its name from Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, who lived the last two years of his life in the area when it was still largely farmland; specifically, he lived in what is now known as Hamilton Grange National Monument.[1] It is located within Manhattan Community Board 9.
Housing and demographics
Most of the housing dates from the extension of the elevated and subway lines at the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th Century.[1] This fairly elegant housing became less desirable to white residents in the 1930s and 1940s as the population changed from white to black, even though the black residents were just as affluent as the white residents.[1] There are spacious apartment buildings, brownstones and other row houses prominently lining the leafy eastern streets of Hamilton Heights, an area traditionally home to a substantial black professional class. The brownstone revival of the 1960s and 1970s led to a new movement of middle-class blacks in the area. Latinos arrived in large numbers in the 1980s, with Dominicans making up the majority.[1] Today the local population is changing again, with Hispanics constituting a majority of the population followed by African Americans, West Indians and Whites. Gentrification since 2005 has dramatically increased the proportion of non-Hispanic whites. Many actors, artists, teachers, and other professionals now reside in Hamilton Heights.
Notable sites
Hamilton Heights is the home of City College of New York (CCNY), Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Harlem School of the Arts and Aaron Davis Hall. The neighborhood offers several parks, including the recently built Riverbank State Park, embedded in Riverside Park which runs along the Hudson River the length of Hamilton Heights.
Historic Hamilton Heights comprises the Hamilton Heights Historic District and the Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Historic District Extension, both designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. One of the highest hills in Hamilton Heights slopes up from the Hudson River at 155th Street, and contains the Trinity Church Cemetery.[1] Many individual buildings in the district are also landmarked, including Shepard Hall on the CCNY campus, and the building that once housed The High School of Music & Art.
