Belmont Reacts to Boil Order

They stripped the shelves on the water aisles of all but two bottles of orange-flavored Perrier at the Shaw's Market on Trapelo Road.

Swarms of customers next took every last 12-bottle case of Poland Springs.

Then the anxious shoppers targeted the generic five-gallon water jugs meant for water dispensers. Within minutes, those were a memory.

They even rifled through the small 6-oz. Belmont Springs bottles.

"Just look for yourself," said Jenny, the Shaw's manager who could only grin as each checkout line was crowded with determined customers pushing carriages filled with water.

"This is as busy as we've ever been," she said.

Shaw's Market was ground zero for the public's reaction to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority on May 1 to boil tap water after what is being called a "catastrophic" failure of a major water main supplying eastern Massachusetts.

With Belmont and the surrounding towns under the order for the foreseeable future, many residents and visitors primary thoughts were how to get their hands on whatever container of clean water they could find.

As Shaw's was being reduced to empty shelves, workers at the CVS store in Belmont Center were struggling to put as much supply into the store to meet the expected demand.

"My manager called and told us to get out as much water into sales as we have outback," said Supervisor Hagop Kanbourian.

"I mean, I didn't know what was going on until the call," he said.

Just as with CVS, the way businesses in Belmont Center learned of the boil water order was haphazard at best.

Of six restaurants and café questioned nearly an hour after the order was issued, three had not heard of the warning while the remainder were made aware from either customers inquires or company officials making desperate calls.

Each business said they did not receive calls from state, town or regional authorities concerning the order.

Starbucks in Belmont Center was still providing water-based drinks and ice when told of the order, while a restaurant just up Leonard Street said they would be as they "filtered" their public water source.

Lamarck Silva, supervisor at Stone Hearth Pizza, said his manager informed him of the situation. Silva said his first reaction was to purchase gallon bottles of water and bottles of juice and sodas. He also told his workers only to use ice from an alternative freezer, which made ice the day before.

"We thought it was the only right thing to do," said Silva.

At il Casale, the hostesses realized something was amiss when people with reservations asked if the Belmont Center restaurant would be open.

Damian de Magistris, il Casale's owner and general manager, said he told his staff just to make sure the customer were safe which meant not serving tap water even though it passes through a carbon filter and UV light.

But de Magistris did not believe the emergency would seriously affect the normal number of Saturday diners.

"We're fine," said de Magistris, as three waiters pushed a pair of CVS carriages filled with water and soda past him.

"Plus we have plenty of wine to drink instead of water," he noted with a smile.