Don't drink the water in Boston without boiling it first.
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Re: Don't drink the water in Boston without boiling it first.
#2Thank you.
I wonder why Cambridge (where I live) is not listed? The surrounding towns are.
edit: according to http://www.mwra.com/02org/html/whatis.htm, Cambridge receives full sewer, but only "emergency backup" water from the MWRA.
edit2: a commenter at http://www.wbur.org/2010/05/01/water-main-break/comment-page... says Cambridge gets its water from Fresh Pond.
Re: Don't drink the water in Boston without boiling it first.
#3[deleted]
Re: Don't drink the water in Boston without boiling it first.
#4Wow, that's one big pipe. Though, you'd think the pressure inside the pipe would be greater than outside it, nullifying any immediate risk of contamination from other water sources.
Re: Don't drink the water in Boston without boiling it first.
#5Thank you. I wonder why Cambridge (where I live) is not listed? The surrounding towns are. edit: according to http://www.mwra.com/02org/html/whatis.htm , Cambridge receives full sewer, but only "emergency backup" water from the MWRA. edit2: a commenter at http://www.wbur.org/2010/05/01/water-main-break/comment-page... says Cambridge gets its water from Fresh Pond.
[deleted]
Re: Don't drink the water in Boston without boiling it first.
#6Wow, that's one big pipe. Though, you'd think the pressure inside the pipe would be greater than outside it, nullifying any immediate risk of contamination from other water sources.
They said that they are augmenting the water supply with sources that are not suitable for drinking:
MWRA is activating its emergency water supplies such as the Sudbury Aqueduct, Chestnut Hill Reservoir and Spot Pond Reservoir. THIS WATER WILL NOT BE SUITABLE FOR DRINKING, but can be used for bathing, flushing and fire protection.
From here: http://www.mwra.com/updates/leak.html
Re: Don't drink the water in Boston without boiling it first.
#7Wow, that's one big pipe. Though, you'd think the pressure inside the pipe would be greater than outside it, nullifying any immediate risk of contamination from other water sources.
If you read past the first couple of paragraphs, you'll find that the water needs to be boiled because they're pulling from unfiltered (or less-filtered) backup sources.
Re: Don't drink the water in Boston without boiling it first.
#8I remember doing that while living in Taiwan. At least the climate in Boston makes having lukewarm water more bearable. When you are sweating in a tropical summer the last thing you want is a warm glass of water.
Re: Don't drink the water in Boston without boiling it first.
#9Wow, that's one big pipe. Though, you'd think the pressure inside the pipe would be greater than outside it, nullifying any immediate risk of contamination from other water sources.
Domestic water pipes often have holes in them, relying on the pressure of the water in the pipe to not let any polluted water get in, if the water pressure dropped as a result of the leak then the dirty water can enter the pipes.
Re: Don't drink the water in Boston without boiling it first.
#10I'll get flamed, but I feel that way about most the water supply in the U.S. Ever look at the reports per county for what is in your water supply here? I don't care what anyone says, most of those contaminates listed aren't acceptable to me at any level. I hate the fact that I have to shower or brush my teeth with it.
Even worse are the chemicals they use to "clean" it, which doesn't get things like medications out, like my favorite additive "chloramine". The website is a little wonky, but check out http://chloramine.org --not to be confused with chlorine which can be filtered out... chloramine is damn near impossible to filter.
I'm not an environmentalist nut, but if there is one thing in this country I don't find safe, it is my drinking/bathing water--and I'm not buying what the government is dishing about its safety and purity.