- BOSTON: The region's drinking water supply could be back to normal in a day or two under a "best-case scenario" outlined by state officials on Monday, leaving in place the order to boil water after a ruptured pipe disrupted the flow of clean water to about 2 million people.
Crews working through the night successfully repaired the 10-foot-wide pipe that broke in suburban Weston on Saturday, prompting Gov. Deval Patrick to declare a state of emergency.
The order for Boston and about 30 surrounding communities remained in effect Monday even though the broken pipe is now operating at full capacity, State Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles said. Officials have already started some environmental tests, he said, which take about 24 hours to complete.
"We're now going to shift our attention to water quality testing," said Fred Laskey, executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
Laskey is confident the repair will hold. "That's as solid as solid can be," he said of the repaired pipe, which has been reinforced by concrete.
The exact reason the coupling gave way remains under investigation. Officials have spent all their time and effort fixing the problem, Laskey said. "Why it blew out is something we're going to work on," he said.
Government officials threw an "open-for-business" sign on Boston for residents returning to work Monday, with Mayor Tom Menino and the governor urging commuters to return to the city.