UPPER WEST SIDE — A building's broken water line left a portion of West 85th Street closed to traffic on Saturday, causing damage to the roadbed, as well as flooding the street and the property's basement.
Emergency crews responded to a call from residents Saturday morning that reported flooding in the basement of 153 West 85th St., and the teams were still pumping water late in the afternoon. The street reopened by the early evening, a Department of Environmental Protection spokesman said.
A large crack in the road outside the property showed a forceful surge of water pouring out.
Pat McNamara, who lives at the building, said he had been out in the morning and discovered the flooding on his return at about 11 a.m. He estimated that there was one foot of water in the basement, but said it appeared that nothing of value was damaged.
"It is quite an inconvenience," he said. "I had planned to go to the Dublin House and go drinking, but I will be late."
No other properties were flooded, and a DEP spokesman clarified Sunday that the flooding was not caused by a burst water main, as suspected at first, but by a broken service line to the building.
It was unclear what caused the damage, but service lines are maintained by a building's landlord, he said.