Endless Knots

Ships ahoy

Kids from Lowell Elementary School in Watertown, MA, built and lauched their vessels on the Charles River a few days ago, just around the bend from the falls in Watertown Square.

 

Last post on water emergency, I hope

Latest from Mayor Setti Warren on our water problems in Eastern Mass:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR POST-BOIL ORDER

Residents are advised to flush their water following the lifting of the boil order in order to clear plumbing of potentially contaminated water. 

Flushing your household and building water lines includes interior and exterior faucets; showers; water and ice dispensers; water treatment units, etc. 

Please follow these guidelines:

Cold Water Faucets: Run tap water until the water feels cold, 1 minute or more, before drinking, tooth brushing, or using for food preparation. 

Hot Water Faucets: To clear hot water pipes and water heater of untreated water, turn on all hot water faucets and flush for a minimum of 15 minutes for a typical household 40-gallon hot water tank and 30 minutes for an 80-gallon hot water tank or larger. 

Never use water from the hot faucet for drinking, cooking, or other internal-consumption purposes. 

After this flushing, hot water is then safe to use for washing hands, and for handwashing of dishes, pots and pans, etc. 

Refrigerators: Water dispensers from refrigerators should be flushed by at least one quart of water. 

Dishwashers: After flushing hot water pipes and water heater, run dishwasher empty one time. 

Humidifiers: Discard any water used in humidifiers, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), oral, medical or health care devices, and rinse the device with clean water. 

Food and baby formula: Be sure you have discarded any baby formula or other foods
prepared with water on the days of the boil order. (If unsure of the dates contact your water Department.) 

Ice cubes: Automatic ice dispensers should be emptied of ice made during the boil order. Then, discard ice made over an additional 24 hour period to assure complete purging of the water supply line. 

Due to the flushing of the lines by residents and the flushing of the hydrants, some customers may experience a lack of water pressure and/or discolored water. However, this is an expected result and does not pose a health risk. 

Contact Newton Customer Service at 617-796-1000 if you have any questions. 

When there's no potable water in a hospital

Given the water main burst west of Boston, I was glad to read that Boston's Longwood medical area, which has four giant hospitals, was instantly supplied with potable water diverted from elsewhere.

Not long ago, well...just read this.

Latest on MWRA water main break #aquapocalypse

This just in from Newton Mayor Setti Warren in Newton:

MWRA has been able to stop the leak at the pipe in Weston. Excavation of the leak is complete, repairs have been initiated. Water pressure continues to be stable. MWRA system water is currently coming from the Carroll Treatment Plant and now being supplemented by the Chestnut Hill Emergency Reservoir.

The switch to secondary reservoirs was made at 6:40 p.m. on Saturday May 1st. THIS WATER WILL NOT BE SUITABLE FOR DRINKING, but can be used for bathing, flushing and fire protection. Click here for some FAQ's on when you do and do not need to boil water.

For individuals who are home bound and in need of clean drinking water, please contact Newton Police dispatch at 617- 796-2100.

MEMA will be providing bottled water to residents at the Municipal Parking lot on Austin St across the Newtonville Shaws tomorrow May 3rd from 2pm - 9pm.

Schools will be open as usual on Monday. Water fountains in schools will be de-activated. Parents are advised to send their children to school with at least two beverages.

City customer service lines are open Sunday until 9pm to answer questions and will reopen at 8:30am Monday morning. At any time, emergency calls should be directed to the Newton Police Department at 617-796-2100.

A complete list of MWRA water communities and the latest updates will be posted on Mass.gov and MWRA´s website at www.mwra.com.

Boil water east of Weston, MA order

This just arrived via email from Setti Warren, Mayor of Newton.

MWRA WATER MAIN BREAK REQUIRES BOIL WATER ORDER

May 1, 2010 - Chelsea, MA – Water service to all MWRA customer communities east of Weston has been interrupted by a major water pipe break in Weston.  Due to this break, A BOIL WATER ORDER IS BEING ISSUED FOR DRINKING WATER FOR ALL MWRA COMMUNITIES EAST OF WESTON UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.  In addition, emergency water conservation measures are being implemented for all impacted communities.  A complete list of MWRA water communities is attached.
 
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.
 
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.
                      
Updates will be posted on Mass.gov and MWRA’s website at www.mwra.com throughout the event.

Just spring

It's turned a bit cold here again and today promises rain, perhaps to clean the streets before the Marathon on Monday, but last week was spectacular. Cheesecake Brook, which middle-schoolers study for its creepy crawlies, runs underground for much of its length through Newton, then surfaces and pours into the Charles River just beyond where this picture was taken in late afternoon. Its sinewy path reminds me of England. Worth walking just for its human-scale.

Drying out

Remember our problems walking around the Charles here in Boston last week? Things are improving. Same path, same bench, new turtle, plus an elegant fowl, all yesterday.

 

 

 

Baby, it's hot outside

And from the weather department here at Endless Knots, a snap of the thermometer outside the back door yesterday. Granted, its back faces west and thus gets the very warm pelting of the afternoon sun but, holy schmazoo!

By way of contrast, I refer you to "Baby, it's cold outside," a similar photo, at least in subject matter, from the esteemed photographer, Neelon Crawford, with slightly different findings.

New Amsterdam? No, New Ton

OK, local history buffs, you all know that Newton, Mass., when settled in 1630 as "the newe towne," is so named for its proximity to its better known relative, Cambridge. But now perhaps we should just call it Watertown. Ooops, no, it's taken. And water has taken over there too.

A walk around the Charles between Newton and Watertown a few days ago yielded these pictures. If you've ever been on the DCR path between Bridge Street and Watertown Square and headed east, you're very familiar with the approach to Watertown Street. This is what was in front of us, i.e. the Charles! In the second photo, you can see Watertown Street ahead. And in the third shot, taken on the Watertown side, you can see the familiar duck feeding bench, where, of course, you're not supposed to feed the ducks. Or geese. Or swans. Some of the geese left. That's the last picture.

 

 

 

Water water everywhere

There's still so much water in the Boston area after the 8-inch drenching last weekend that it's impossible to walk around the Charles between Newton and Boston, Newton and Waltham. Last night, driving west to Boxborough (see next post), the Sudbury River was right by the shoulder; some turns off Route 2 were still closed.

Here's what it looked like yesterday along the Charles near our house.

Notice kids on railing on left

What it's supposed to look like

And what it looked like just beyond that point