Boston-Area Water Main Break Makes Monday Even Grosser

Boston-Area Water Main Break Makes Monday Even Grosser

A water main break in the Boston area over the weekend has left some two million people without clean water until at least Wednesday. The city has ordered residents to boil any water that might be used for drinking or cooking or performing basic ablutions (although showering is allegedly OK), and bottled water is selling at a premium at some not-as-ethical shops. School’s still open, though!

The break — which is in the process of being fixed — has caused Boston-area sales of bottled water to spike, and coffee to be a precious commodity — particularly on a gray Monday morning. From an unnamed employee of a large coffee chain who, yesterday, took to Maine in order to take a shower:

A lot of the Dunkin’ Donuts shops in the affected towns are just closed. Most Starbucks are open but only serving food, bottled drinks, and cold milk. And [instant coffee base] Via. For the most part people were great about it, and many of them were satisfied when we told them Cambridge is unaffected. Those Frappucinos in the glass bottles were the most popular items, as were the Doubleshots in cans. There were some people who didn’t quite understand why we couldn’t make coffee, even after reading the sign that said we couldn’t make any water-based beverages… I guess they needed their coffee. I hope this will be over soon! Half of the status updates I read from my friends yesterday were about lack of access to coffee.

Meanwhile, people are heading to Cambridge, where iced coffee has taken on the qualities of “liquid gold.” “Think about the North End — no pasta!” chimed in another food-minded friend.

And now, the obligatory embed of the song that everyone probably thought of upon hearing this news: