Water Line Break Wreaks Havoc
Boston residents must boil drinking water
Photo courtesy of Jordan McRae
Residents of Boston and 37 other communities are being advised by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) to boil water before using it for drinking, cooking, washing food or brushing teeth, after a major pipe carrying water to Boston sprang a leak and began dumping 8 million gallons of water an hour into the Charles River. Public drinking fountains on the Charles River Campus and Medical Campus should not be used.
The Office of Facilities Management and Planning is currently distributing more than 10,000 bottles of water in University dining halls, which will be kept open until 2 a.m., and 28,800 additional bottles will be available Sunday morning. The University has arranged for the delivery of 34,000 bottles of water per day. University officials emphasize the importance of conserving bottled water, and warn that hot plates should not be used to boil water. Dining services will adjust its menus to use boiled water and students will use dining halls as place to get drinking water.
The MWRA reports that it is activating its emergency water supplies such as the Sudbury Aqueduct, Chestnut Hill Reservoir, and Spot Pond Reservoir. The state agency warns that this water will not be suitable for drinking, but can be used for bathing, flushing and fire protection. Officials say repairing the system will take several days, if not longer.
The leak is located at the junction of the MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel and the City Tunnel on Recreation Road in Weston. This 10-foot diameter pipe transports water to communities east of Weston – as far north as Wilmington and south to Stoughton. MWRA crews are on site, and engineers are assessing the situation to determine next steps.
Click here to read more and see a list of communities affected. Click here to learn how to purify water.
Check back for updates on this story.
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