SUNSET PARK — A stream of brown water was seen pouring out of the taps of some Sunset Park homes Thursday night, officials and residents said.
The water discoloration was caused by sediment being stirred in pipes while workers prepared to activate a new water tunnel running from Bay Ridge to Staten Island under the New York Harbor, the Department of Environmental Protection said Friday afternoon.
Tony Giordano, a longtime resident widely known for his popular "Sunset Parker" Facebook page, said he received about 30 reports from residents stretching from 54th Street and Fourth Avenue in Sunset Park and down into parts of Bay Ridge.
City Councilman Carlos Menchaca also received complaints of brown water from residents.
The DEP informed Menchaca that the tainted water was not a danger to public health, he said in a Facebook post Friday morning.
After 11 p.m. Thursday night, water had begun to return to normal, he said.
"The cause is work on a large trunk main water line that is part of a much larger water tunnel project for Staten Island. You may have seen DEP personnel opening hydrants last night — that was to help flush the lines," he said in the post.
Similar brownish water was seen in Washington Heights last week as a result of maintenance work at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.
