Hole in Baldwin road after water main break sends water gushing into the streets

The break occurred around 12:20 p.m. at the intersection of Brooklyn Avenue and Chestnut Street.

Thema Ponton

Feb 19, 2025, 11:02 PM

Updated 23 hr ago

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A water main break in northern Baldwin flooded streets, people's property and left behind serious damage - including a large hole in a neighborhood near the Long Island Rail Road.
The break occurred around 12:20 p.m. at the intersection of Brooklyn Avenue and Chestnut Street.
A representative with Liberty Water said the water main break created low water pressure for several hundred customers close to the leak.
"Our crews are working to repair the break and restore pressure as quickly and safely as possible...we expect repairs to be complete and the road to be opened no later than tomorrow," said the representative.
"Oh no, here we go again." said Darien Ward, a past president of the Baldwin Civic Association, about Wednesday's water main break.
As News 12 has reported, Liberty Water customers in Baldwin have experienced multiple water main breaks since this past summer.
One water main near the Baldwin/Oceanside border even broke twice in about a three-month span.
Ward says too many water main breaks are happening in Baldwin.
"It's unfortunate, everyone knows there's a infrastructure concern, so why not be proactive and address it." said Ward.
He said he would like to see the Town of Hempstead and Liberty Water work together to stop the water main breaks, saying, "It can only happen so many times and people get frustrated and want to leave."
In response to Wednesday's water main break, a spokesman for the Town of Hempstead tells News 12 that the break falls under the jurisdiction of Liberty Water, not the town.
According to a representative with Liberty Water, "We are almost done with a main replacement project in Baldwin and once complete we will be looking at other possible projects in the area."