CLIFTON — The city will replace a 120-year-old water main that once brought water to the barns that served as the United States Animal Quarantine Station at Clifton and Van Houten avenues, where City Hall now stands.
The main will be replaced with a larger one capable of carrying more water to the area to protect those same historic structures in case of fire.
A new 6-inch or 8-inch water main will allow for more fire hydrants on the property, which includes City Hall and the historic barns, some of which have been updated and transformed.
“The whole complex, all these barns, are serviced by a 2-inch pipe,” City Manager Nick Villano told members of the City Council. The century-old pipe has probably constricted and “reduced to less than 1 inch because of sediment,” Villano said.
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This water line is insufficient to supply water to much-needed additional fire hydrants at the 26-acre complex, which once was roamed by exotic animals from all around the world as their first stop to quarantine in the United States.
The need to replace the water main came to the city’s attention when the Clifton Adult Opportunity Center, a nonprofit that provides programs for adults with developmental disabilities, proposed the expansion of its building in one of the animal quarantine barn buildings.
In reviewing the expansion plans, the city’s fire marshal took a closer look at the center’s proposal to bring a water line from one of the main streets nearby to provide water for its sprinkler system and a fire hydrant.
However, to provide sufficient water for a network of hydrants and protect the various barns and buildings, the century-old main should be replaced, the marshal recommended.
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The hydrants are deemed necessary because currently there is only one in the complex, near the Van Houten entrance. Should a fire break out on the opposite end of the complex, firefighters would have to string hoses together to reach it.
The city engineer’s office estimated the cost at $750,000 to $900,000. The council approved the manager’s recommendation to run a new line and create a water loop that connects mains from Colfax and Van Houten avenues.
The money would likely come from American Rescue Plan Act funds the city received to help offset the economic damage done to towns and cities during the pandemic.
A plan should be relatively uncomplicated, Villano told the council, because unlike sewer and drain pipes, water mains are pressurized, making elevations along the length of the pipe not an issue. The council approved Villano’s proposal to start planning the new main.
Protection of historic site
For almost 80 years, from 1900 to 1979, the property was known as the “Ellis Island for Animals,” where any animal coming into the country was first quarantined before moving on to other parts of the country.
Musk oxen, giraffes, cattle, sheep and circus animals roamed the property.
The federal government in the late 1970s moved the quarantine station to upstate New York, at Stewart International Airport.
Today, a few of the Clifton barns have been converted. They now serve as the city’s senior center, animal shelter and arts center.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Clifton NJ to replace water main to protect historic barns
