The Tripod

Trinity College students were inconvenienced last week due to an advisory banning the drinking of tap water on campus. The Trinity community was alerted via e-mail on Wednesday, April 22 of a "boil water notice" issued by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) after microorganisms were found in the Hartford public water supply. The College community was notified again the following day that the recommendation to abstain from direct drinking of tap water would remain in place until further notice. The advisory was lifted Monday evening.

According to an April 24 press release on the Connecticut DPH Web site, the advisory also affected the towns of Bloomfield, Windsor, West Hartford, and parts of East Granby and Windsor Locks.  It was put into effect after a Bloomfield resident found microorganisms called copepods in his water, the Hartford Courant reported on Monday.

Residents in the City of Hartford and surrounding towns were advised to abstain from drinking directly from the tap or water fountains, or to boil water one minute before drinking. The Connecticut DPH reported that it was safe to continue routine water use, such as showering and hand washing. The DPH took measures to remove the microorganisms from the water supply.

Director of the Health Center Martha Burke O'Brien said, "Essentially these organisms are found in unpurified water all the time and, they are no cause for health concerns to humans [...] DPH was rightfully concerned that if these organisms could get through the cleaning process before distribution then perhaps other organisms that are harmful to humans could have gotten through as well."

Trinity took all necessary precautions, said Manager of Chartwells Toby Chenette. Besides the bottled water available at the Cave and in the Bistro, the College supplied water dispensers in various locations around campus.  Trinity had water shipped up from Quinnipiac University the first day of the water notice, and then received water shipments from Crystal Rock.

Chenette added that the local health inspector was "impressed" by the precautions Trinity and Chartwells had taken. Once the ban was lifted, staff began the process of cleaning the soda lines and other equipment, and Chenette said that everything should be back and running by Tuesday lunch.

Trinity students had varied reactions to the advisory and subsequent precautions. "I didn't realize how muchI relied on tap water until the situation occurred," said one anonymous student. "But, I think Mather could have done a better job supplying enough water." Other students had similar views on the College's response to the water incident. "While I appreciate the school's concern, I think this has been drawn out for too long,"?said Sarah Quirk '11. "If the organisms can't hurt me, and I can't see or taste them, I'm happy to drink them. Also, if the school is going to shut off all water fountains and water in Peter B's, the Underground, and the Cave, they could at least provide us with a more air conditioning."

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