Irene: Passaic River Up to 7.8 Feet in Chatham

UPDATE: 10:21 p.m.— was at 7.8 feet in Chatham as of 10 p.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS said the river was at 6.3 feet as of 3:45 p.m. Monday, 7.7 feet at 9:15 a.m. and 7.5 feet Sunday at 8:45 p.m. The flood stage is at 6 feet.

The NWS previously predicted the river would rise up to nearly 7.9 feet Monday afternoon before falling.

According to the NWS, the bridges on Central and Bridge avenues in Chatham Township are subject to be closed, while Edgewood Road has already been shut down.

While surrounding communities have been asked to boil their water, Chatham Township Mayor Nicole Hagner said township water is "safe to drink without boiling."

The Madison-Chatham Joint Meeting sewer plant is partially flooded, with sewage treatment affecting the outgoing flow from town. The quality of water delivered in the borough is not affected, Vaughan said.

Township Chief of Police John Paton said flooding has receded on most surface roads and the Chatham Township Fire Department has been busy pumping water from basements.

Borough Mayor Nelson Vaughan said the borough assigned a contractor Monday morning to fill the partial collapse in the bridge off of Van Doren Avenue which leads to the and .

The bridge over Days Creek collapsed early Sunday morning and exposed a 14-inch reinforced water pipe which delivers water to borough residents.

A DPW employee sustained a head injury when his vehicle drove into the hole, which he told emergency responders he did not see.

Officials initially worried the exposure could cause the pipe to crack and break, potentially cutting off the borough's water supply. Those fears were alleviated Sunday afternoon after the hole was partially filled with sand.

Vaughan said a contractor was working on the project as of Monday morning.

At least 50 basements in the borough and 30 in the township were reported as flooded. The , the and the are available to pump out basements for residents.