No Water
On Saturday May 1, 2010, just over a week ago, a collar connecting two pieces of a water supply main broke in Weston, MA. The numbers associated with this failure are impressive: 64 million gallons of water was lost, 30 communities equaling 700, 000 households or some 2 million people were affected. We were told that the water was unsafe to drink and we had to boil it for at least one minute before drinking it. The stores suddenly became barren of bottled water. People panicked. The unofficial “man on the street” opinion was that it was going to take weeks to fix.
On Saturday May 1, 2010, just over a week ago, a collar connecting two pieces of a water supply main broke in Weston, MA. The numbers associated with this failure are impressive: 64 million gallons of water was lost, 30 communities equaling 700, 000 households or some 2 million people were affected. We were told that the water was unsafe to drink and we had to boil it for at least one minute before drinking it. The stores suddenly became barren of bottled water. People panicked. The unofficial “man on the street” opinion was that it was going to take weeks to fix.
In Connecticut I bought a case of 6 gallons of water at Costco, because why not. If this was going to be weeks, then let’s get this party started.
By Tuesday, the water main was fixed and the water was tested safe. We had to run the cold water in the sink for a minute and run the hot water for 15 minutes – though a couple warm showers I think also did the trick.
We had no water for 3 days – 2 for me since I was going away to see a friend. Not really a big hardship. No major sacrifice. No big loss. To many, not having potable water was hardship, but that wasn’t hardship. That was nothing close to hardship. Hardship is when you don’t have a choice of 5 brands of bottled water and 5 more brands of carbonated bottled water in your local supermarket, which are EVERYWHERE. Hardship is when you don’t have food on the table or even the hope of food on or near the table. Hardship is when water, any water, is scarce.
We were not in hardship. We were in “wait and see.” We were in, “Well I’m glad we have the best water supply in the world.” We were in, “We are lucky to have what we have.”
I’ve decided that I like the occasional drought. It can be a good teacher. I like water, but I can appreciate it even more when it’s not as convenient to get it.
8 comments:
Yes, things are more appreciated when they're not so easy to come by.
I'm worried about our water supply now after what's happening in the Gulf.
I came by for Blog Jog Day and am now a follower of your blog.
So that's what happened! I remember reading something my nephew said about brushing his teeth with mouthwash because they were under a boil order.
How ironic that I learn what happened from a complete stranger! Adding you to my reading list so you can continue informing me!
Love your blog and your water theme.
Jan
That's awful. I'm sorry! Gosh.
Good luck1
I live in Nashville. We had LOTS of water in the flood last week. Many people lost their homes, businesses, and car, but thankfully people are pulling together to help everyone get on their feet again.
Thanks for being part of the blog jog today. I'm @writersinthesky on Twitter. Give a yell and I'll follow you back.
I love my well and I really love your Blog!
Thanks for participating today!
oh wow that maes u really apperciate the water u do have
Thanks for describing how water can become unsafe. There was a tragedy a number of years ago that rendered the water unfit to to drink in a city in my province. People died. Many became ill.
Three days seems like a long time to me, but I'm glad you have perspective and knew to buy water in bulk from Costco. It is indeed a precious commodity, one many take for granted. So many people refuse to drink tap water, even when it's safe, opting for bottles.
I can't comprehend having no access to it, or only having access to dirty or polluted water. It's a shame so many people in developing countries have to live with hat.
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