<p>My daughter is a student at Brandeis and just informed me that many areas around Boston are in a “boil water” situation due to a water main break. If you have children in these areas, you may want to make certain they are aware of this situation.</p>
<p>Luckily though Cambridge is not under the boil water requirement (although every other community in Metro Boston is!) because we have our own municipal reservoir at Fresh Pond and we’re the only town/city east of Weston that is not a member of the MWRA. My dinner plans at a cute place in the South End did get canceled though.</p>
<p>I guess that you didn’t have to deal with those huge water and sewer bills back in the 1980s and 1990s when the boondoggle Authority known as the MWRA was in its heyday.</p>
<p>I don’t pay any water or sewer bills currently (I’m a renter in an older building that can’t be submetered - not that I know <em>anyone</em> who rents in metro Boston who actually pays for water even though they changed the law enabling it a few years back) BUT I am glad I didn’t have to pay for the whole Deer Island treatment plant fiasco (I’m assuming that’s what you’re talking about?).</p>
<p>Thanks, that is very helpful. Does anybody have ideas on how to do this all practically, though? It doesn’t seem like a very good longterm solution to wash my hands by pouring water over them because that involves a hand. Does anyone know how long this might last? (I know they’re not saying, but if anyone has experience with this kind of thing?)</p>
<p>It’s a custom 10 foot piece of metal pipe that broke. I’d think that it would take some time to make it and transport it and set it in place. I read that there was a run on bottled water in a Lexington supermarket. I’m going to go to the local supermarket early tomorrow morning to try to pick up several gallons in case our relatives in the Boston area need it.</p>
<p>Governor Patrick requested that bottled water suppliers step up shipments to the area.</p>
<p>I read it on the news around dinner time and immediately called my D who is a student who lives in Cambridge but I knew she was not home and at a party (also in Cambridge). At the time, I had read it was everyone east of Weston. She didn’t pick up but I left a message and she eventually called back and said she knew about it but that Cambridge was not affected. Hopefully everyone in the other towns and Boston are aware by now and heed the warnings.</p>
<p>Thanks for the posting. I sent a msg to my son who knew about it, but said the school is not making any additional water available, which would think they should, even if its water to buy.</p>
<p>The ironic thing about this - two days before the pipe broke, the town of Concord passed a law making it illegal to sell bottled water in town, for environmental reasons (too many plastic bottles being thrown away). They’re not on the list of towns affected, but it’s gotta make them wonder about this law now!</p>
<p>Yesterday was quite a day of emergencies. Now, my other D called and said she was surprised we didn’t call HER because Times Square was evacuated and she’s in NYC. But I read about that one late at night and didn’t think she was in that vicinity at the time, and she wasn’t. Many affected…never a dull moment.</p>
<p>It isn’t that the water is contaminated but that they’re using reservoir water that hasn’t been fully treated. There is risk but it’s not like they’ve identified a contaminant in the water. </p>
<p>All the MWRA towns are doing fecal counts today. My guess is they’ll be fine.</p>
<p>BTW, today is the 20 mile Walk for Hunger. So if you really need water, you can walk for charity and they’ll give you some.</p>
<p>Plenty of bottled water at the supermarket this morning.</p>
<p>There was one guy that was loading up a shopping cart - another person asked him if he was from Boston and he said no. The guy that asked him works in Boston and he’s bringing down a gallon with him to work tomorrow.</p>
<p>We were considering a trip to Boston today but may just go to Burlington (no water problems) instead.</p>
<p>It’s pretty easy to boil up a supply of water at home. Many colleges are providing bottled water for their students. Fortunately, my office has a Poland Springs dispenser (bottled water) with hot/cold spigots.</p>
<p>WBUR (local NPR station) reported that it’s pretty much like using water from a lake - you can swim (bathe) in it but you can’t ingest it. I just have to remember to brush my teeth with the boiled water.</p>
<p>I think that washing dishes is more of a bit of a problem which begs the question: what are restaurants doing? Those with disposable dishes are fine but what about washing the bowls, utensils, storage containers and cookware?</p>