MWRA
Those darn aquaducks!
By adamg - 5/2/10 - 12:51 pmRoss Levanto photographs an explanation of the issue posted at a White Hen Pantry on Cambridge Street (click on the photo for a larger view).
Earlier:
One McDonald's blames the Gulf oil spill.
Boil order could be days, rather than weeks, unless testing tomorrow shows "collateral damage"
By adamg - 5/2/10 - 10:28 amNECN interviews MWRA head Fred Laskey this morning. He says welding a new metal sheath to replace the one that blew out should be done by tonight; pressure testing will be done tomorrow.
Police called in to quell water-crazed mob in Revere BJ's
By adamg - 5/2/10 - 9:39 amChannel 5 rounds up water madness, including the frenzied scene at Panic Central, a.k.a., the West Roxbury Roche Bros.
Earlier:
People who shop at the Hyde Park Shaw's are more mellow.
It was a race against time, and we lost
By adamg - 5/2/10 - 9:15 amThe six-year-old aqueduct that cracked, plunging us into aquapocalypse, replaced a 1939 aqueduct that was to be rebuilt so it could serve as a backup to the new tunnel. The MWRA is in the middle of repairing the old aqueduct and was kinda hoping nothing bad would happen until 2014, when the work is supposed to be done, the Globe reports.
So now we're relying on emergency reservoirs and aqueducts that haven't been used in decades, including the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, which was built as an answer to Boston's last catastrophic water failure - in 1859.
And one crack to ruin it all
By adamg - 5/1/10 - 11:23 pmGood summary from NECN that includes a look at The Crack:
If you go up on Echo Bridge, could you hear the water gushing through it?
By adamg - 5/1/10 - 9:27 pm
Echo Bridge before they put up fences.
In recent decades, the Newton Upper Falls landmark has become a place to jog or just take in the views - or listen to your echo - but with today's water emergency, the state reactivated the aqueduct the "bridge" was built for in 1877.
More Sudbury Aqueduct photos, from its start in Framingham to the gatehouse that lets it flow into the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.
Reminder of who built the span: Boston Water Works
If there were a bottled water alert system, we'd be at Red Red Red right now
By adamg - 5/1/10 - 6:54 pm
Score! The kidlet finds a six-pack of Aquafina hidden behind a basket in the depleted water aisle at the Hyde Park Shaw's around 6:30 p.m. It was so bad people were resorting to seltzer. But nobody seemed to be going for the "nursery water" over in the baby-food aisle.
People were calm and nobody said anything to the lady who seemed to be buying enough water for a small town, but we're beginning to get reports of anger in the aisles elsewhere.
Aquapocalypse: Greater Boston residents told to boil water as six-year-old aqueduct fails
By adamg - 5/1/10 - 3:18 pm
FAIL: Aqueduct breaks after just 6 years.UPDATE: 10 p.m.: The state says workers have stopped the leak in Weston but that it could be "days at a minimum, we're hoping not weeks" before the boil-water order is lifted. ... If you have water-related questions, you can call 211. ... The state has posted an FAQ, including answers to questions about such things as giving babies baths and whether dishwashers and automatic coffee machines are safe. ... Map of Boston neighborhoods (yes, Allston and Brighton are part of Boston).
Boil that water until further notice, the MWRA warns:
A BOIL WATER ORDER IS BEING ISSUED FOR DRINKING WATER FOR ALL MWRA COMMUNITIES EAST OF WESTON UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. ... 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.
According to the state Department of Environmental Water, this means bringing "the water to a rolling boil for at least 1 minute." If you go out to eat, do NOT drink fountain soda - unless you're going into Cambridge, which has its own water supply separate from the MWRA.
The MWRA adds:
The leak is located at the location where the MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel meets the City Tunnel on Recreation Road. This 120-inch diameter pipe transports water to our communities east of Weston – as far north as Wilmington and south to Stoughton. Water is leaking into the Charles River at rate of over 8 million gallons an hour. MWRA crews are on site; engineers are assessing the situation to determine next steps.
The Boston Police Department held over officers from the day shift so they can begin driving around the city notifying residents of the emergency order over loudspeakers.
List of affected communities:
System designed to contain oil leaks at Deer Island works
By adamg - 2/27/10 - 12:31 amThe Boston Fire Department reports 320 gallons of number 2 oil leaked out of a tank at the Deer Island sewage plant around 9:30 p.m., but that all the oil was "contained in the protective area made for such leaks."
Broken MWRA valve dumps 1,000 gallons of oil into Charles River
By adamg - 2/10/10 - 12:41 pmThe Coast Guard reports a valve malfunction at an MWRA facility in Cambridge let 2,000 gallons of Number 2 heating oil drain out around 3:45 this morning. About half that is in the building; the rest flowed into the River, where a contractor is now attempting to contain and clean up the spill.
