Kaye Burnet | Editor-in-Chief
UPDATE: 2/2/2017 12:00 p.m.
PWSA had lifted its water boil advisory for all affected areas, including the Bluff.
________
A boil water advisory issued by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority Tuesday afternoon affected more than 100,000 Pittsburgh residents and led to several Duquesne dining locations closing or limiting their menu options Wednesday. The university issued free bottled water to students in residence halls and posted signs cautioning students not to use tap water for drinking, brushing their teeth, or washing dishes.
The PWSA statement Tuesday afternoon cautioned consumers to boil their water before consuming it, due to “insufficient disinfection” at Pittsburgh’s Highland Park water reservoir. The affected customers include Duquesne University and the surrounding Uptown neighborhood, according to the interactive map provided by the PWSA.
Duquesne students residing on campus or in Uptown, Downtown, Shadyside, Oakland or other affected areas should let their tap run for one minute before collecting the water, then boil the water and let it cool before consuming it, according to the PWSA. Any water used for preparing food, brushing teeth, drinking, or washing dishes should be boiled first.
Options Food Court and the Starbucks in the Student Union were closed as of noon on Wednesday, while the Barnes and Noble Cafe on Forbes Avenue took its cafe drinks and soups temporarily off the menu. According to university spokeswoman Jill Greenwood, the Hogan Dining Center in Towers and The Incline in the Student Union will remain open.
On Wednesday morning, the PWSA announced the establishment of 15 water distribution stations, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The nearest station to Duquesne University is the Shop ‘n Save, at 1850 Centre Ave. in the Hill District.
