City Under Boil Advisory After Water Main Break
Businesses and homes in Worcester were advised to boil all water today after city crews repaired a major water main that burst Monday afternoon near Worcester State University.
The break, at the intersection of Chandler and May streets, was repaired early today after disrupting water service to all of Worcester, as well as Paxton, the Elm Hill Water District in Auburn, Century Drive corporate park and the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction in West Boylston and the Millbury Industrial Park, according to the city's website.
The city said Holden is utilizing its own water sources and has not been affected. The Woodland Water District in Auburn was supplied by the Auburn Water District and was also unaffected.
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The city said the water supply is not contaminated and advised property owners and residents to boil all water before using it for drinking, cooking, making baby formula, making ice cubes, brushing teeth or for their pets to drink. The city also issued these precautions today:
- To assure safe water, bring the water to a rolling boil for 1 minute.
- Once system pressure is restored, samples will be collected throughout the city to assure it's safe to drink. Sampling and testing may take two to four days to complete. The boil water advisory will remain in effect until sampling and testing show water is safe to drink.
- While the distribution system recovers, residents and businesses can expect rattling pipes, air in the water and discolored water.
- Opening cold-water taps can help the recovery process since it helps let air out.
- Don't open hot-water taps since it will draw rusty water into hot-water tanks.
- Avoid doing laundry for the next few days while the system recovers and discolored water dissipates.
- Call the public works department's customer service center at 508-929-1300 if there are any problems or questions.
Classes at the city's public schools were delayed two hours today.
Meanwhile, classes at Worcester State were canceled for the day, and the campus will remain closed Wednesday as a safety precaution, according to WSU spokeswoman Lea Ann Scales.
Crews worked throughout the day to prepare the campus for return to operations following the water main break. Power and water have been restored to the campus, but power was shut off Tuesday as a safety precaution, Scales said. University officials are awaiting water test results, which are expected Wednesday. "The health and safety of our students is paramount," WSU President Barry M. Maloney said. "I want to thank students, their families and our faculty and staff for their patience."
Meanwhile, officials at the College of the Holy Cross expected all water service to be restored by late Tuesday morning, but warned students and staff that food service would be limited, with no serving of fountain drinks or ice.
At Saint Vincent Hospital, it was "business as usual" Tuesday morning after it implemented water conservation techniques and rescheduled a few surgeries that had been scheduled for early Tuesday, according to hospital spokesman Dennis Irish. He lauded city officials for communicating with Saint Vincent about the break and said patient safety was never in danger.
The Worcester campuses of UMass Memorial Health Care were using bottled water for drinking and sanitation Tuesday morning, according to spokesman Rob Brogna, who said the system canceled ambulatory care visits for the day as a precaution and may postpone some for Wednesday. But Brogna said the system will continue to conduct any and all emergency medical procedures.
Operations at Polar Beverages were cut back as the company dealt with a drop in water pressure, said Christopher Crowley, Polar's treasurer and executive vice president. The company also took the opportunity to help city residents by lowering the price of a gallon of water at its kiosk on Hope Avenue from 35 cents to 5 cents, Crowley said.
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