A flooded manhole has turned a loading dock into an ice rink in Queens.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The water has nowhere to go, so it’s 24\/7 of just constant flow,” Mike Ciuffo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ciuffo, president of food wholesale company M&V Provisions, says the mystery leak has been gurgling for more than a month, posing added risk to staff, customers, and delivery drivers since the snowstorm and deep freeze.<\/p>\n
“We’ve had a few people fall,” he said.<\/p>\n
He says a tractor trailer full of eggs was unable to complete its delivery.<\/p>\n
“He got stuck on the ice. He was here for about three hours before they finally towed him out,” co-owner Joe Vallario said.<\/p>\n
“We need those eggs,” loading dock manager Albert Arana said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It comes as a blow to the long-running Ridgewood family business, which delivers ingredients and kitchen supplies across the Tri-State Area.<\/p>\n
“It’s thousands of bodegas, delis, restaurants,” Ciuffo said.<\/p>\n
“It’s been over a month now”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Staff tried using sandbags to dam up the manhole.<\/p>\n
“It didn’t quite work as well as we hoped for, but we’re trying to do anything we can to stop the flow,” he said.<\/p>\n
He says repeated 311 requests have gone nowhere.<\/p>\n
“It’s been over a month now. We’re getting no response from the city at all. This morning, we had to chase away about half a dozen tractor trailers that couldn’t get in,” Vallario said. “We’re trying to supply the city with food, and it’s creating all sorts of problems.”<\/p>\n
“No one’s reached out to us at all”\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Department of Environmental Protection told CBS News New York that it is actively investigating and that it remains unclear whether the issue is a water main break or other condition.<\/p>\n
“No one’s reached out to us at all. No one,” Vallario said.<\/p>\n
Management worries about the ripple effect for delis and their customers.<\/p>\n
“The impact now is we cannot receive products. No delivery driver will take a chance to back in,” Ciuffo said.<\/p>\n
“As long as it stays below freezing, it’s a problem, and there’s no signs of it warming up anytime soon,” Vallario said.<\/p>\n