Residents in parts of Bergen and Hudson counties in New Jersey were without water after lightning cut the power to United Water's Haworth Water Treatment Plant for several hours, leading to a boil water alert for about 750,000 people.
Bergen County executive Dennis McNerney also issued an order banning outdoor water use in towns serviced by the utility, closing most car washes, laundromats and other large commercial water consumers.
United Water officials informed The Star-Ledger that the power had been returned late in the afternoon, but customers should continue boiling water until told otherwise.
During the storm, lighting downed a pair of power lines feeding the plant, and 8,500 other Public Service Electric & Gas customers lost power as well.
Without full power, United Water officials told The Star-Ledger that the plant was unable to process water, leaving customers with only the water remaining in the system's pipes and storage tanks. Customers should expect to see low water pressure or perhaps no water at all until service is completely restored.
Source: The Star-Ledger