Today: Somebody’s poisoned the waterhole!

Never again will I take our clean, safe water for granted.  I came back to Boston from a weekend in New Jersey to find that somebody’s poisoned the waterhole. Sheriff Woody would not be pleased with that pesky water main break in Weston.

It looks like order will be restored within 48 hours, but in the meantime we’re left to dodge all the Bostonians who have been denied their morning coffee. Um, hello… that’s why Diet Coke was invented.  You don’t need to mix it with water.

If you’re really desperate, though, I recommend following @UniversalHub on Twitter for real-time reports on all things caffeinated.

According to The Globe, here’s what we should/should not be doing:

• To disinfect water, tap water should be boiled (at a rolling boil for at least 1 minute) or treated with disinfecting tablets, or replaced with bottled water.
• Filters on taps, refrigerators, and Brita pitchers do not remove potentially harmful bacteria.  In other words, you’d still need to boil this water to be sure it’s safe to drink.
• Dishes (whether being washed by hand or machine) should be rinsed in a heavily diluted bleach solution.  Alternately, you should use disposable dishware.  Sorry, Mother Nature.  And Al Gore.
• It is safe to shower, but disinfected water should be used when brushing your teeth or washing your hands.  I feel itchy, but that’s probably a result of thinking about bathing in the Reservoir.

To the Globe’s list, I’d like to add “Put a Post-It note above the faucet so you don’t rinse your toothbrush in bottled water, only to re-rinse it under the faucet.” Whoops.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Post photos from this weekend’s Revlon/EIF Run for Women
• Plan meals/workouts for the week
• From Self Magazine: Buy organic without going broke

Is there anything exciting going on in your neck of the woods?  Got any safe water tips to share?