Everybody’s Drinking Problem
How tough is it to live without drinkable tap water?
The good news is that the water pipe break that left two million people in eastern Massachusetts without drinking water has been fixed, and as soon as water quality is tested and declared safe, it will once again be safe to drink tap water. The bad news is that all of that should be happening about the time many BU students are getting in their cars to leave campus. Or is that also the good news?
In the meantime, BU students are experiencing a brand-new relationship with something they have always taken for granted: water. How’s it going?
Amanda Kozar (CAS’12)
“I’m coping just fine. It’s just an annoyance. The main problem is there’s no coffee. I know that sounds shallow, but I need coffee!”
Kelley Brescia (CAS’12)
“It’s kind of funny how suddenly it’s 90 degrees and we have no drinking water on tap. And in Myles we don’t have air conditioning. I think the heat and the stress of finals is getting people hyped up about it, when it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. I’m not a coffee drinker, so I don’t feel deprived of that, but I’m hoping they get it fixed because it’s really awkward to brush your teeth with bottled water. It definitely reminds us how we take things for granted. A lot of people would be lucky to have running water at all.”
Luci Pike (CAS’12)
“I need caffeine to focus. This morning I had to walk to Cambridge to get coffee because it’s finals time. Then, because it’s so hot out, I had to buy bottled water to walk there, so I’ve spent $9 that I wouldn’t normally have spent, because I usually drink tap water.”
Cecelia Hart (COM’10)
“Walking into the GSU today and seeing that Starbucks was closed was devastating. I’m a coffee drinker and it’s finals week. The other thing is that I’ve been brushing my teeth with tap water, just because it’s the kind of thing we do without thinking about it.”
Hannah Putnam (CAS’12)
“Of all the weeks for this to happen, this has to be the worst. We are trying to study for finals and trying to move out at the same time. We can’t get coffee, so we are drinking energy drinks, which make you more dehydrated. We went to a 7-Eleven and the shelves were empty. <My boyfriend’s parents brought some water from where they live. We are using disposable cutlery because we can’t wash our own cutlery.”
Parth Patel (SAR’12), a clerk at City Convenience, 702 Commonwealth Ave.
“We had a run on water yesterday, and the water shelves were pretty empty, but they’ve been restocked. People are buying a lot of bottled cappuccino and coffee.”
Natalie Vera (CAS’13)
“I was nervous taking a shower. You’re supposed to keep your mouth closed, so I was like, ‘Should I even do this?’ And we had to brush our teeth with bottled water. That was weird.”
Taylor Pepe (COM’11)
“Oh man, BU is all on top of it [coverage of the crisis]. I got 4 phone calls and about 15 text messages over the last 24 hours. BU probably texts and calls me more than my girlfriend.”
Dylan Jackson (ENG’10)
“Last night I forgot — and brushed my teeth with tap water. I think that if it was seriously dangerous they would have shut off the water. I got the phone call, e-mail, and text from the BU emergency service. This is one of the first times when I felt that it was useful.”
Benny Yin (ENG’11)
“It’s especially hard during finals week to have to go without coffee, but we all have to make do with what we have. I usually just fill my water bottle up at water fountains, but now I can’t do that, so I bring an extra bottle with me from home.”
Mallory Rice (CFA’10)
“It’s annoying for our StuVi apartment to have to boil all our water, but we are managing.”
Kelisha Menon (CAS’12, COM’12)
I’ll just walk over to Cambridge if I need real drinks.”
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