TROY PUBLIC UTILITIES WORKERS PERFORM emergency maintenance on a water line outside of Polytech Apartments.Update (2:27 pm, October 19):
The advisory has been lifted and water is now safe for consumption. The RPIAlert system sent notifications to students at 11:50 am. The advisory lift can be found at https://poly.rpi.edu/s/s1t56.
Original article (11:24 pm, October 16):
The city of Troy has issued a boil water advisory, which is in effect from 6 pm on Monday, October 16 through Wednesday, October 18, 2017.
This applies to tap water obtained between Congress Street and Frear Park Road, which includes Rensselaer’s central campus, some residence halls, and a broad area of apartments both north and south of campus. “Blitman Commons, City Station, Chasan Building, Proctors and the Gurley Building are not affected,” according to an email from RPIAlert.
The advisory recommends boiling water used for drinking and cooking for at least one minute. Bottled water can be used as an alternative to tap water.
The cause of the advisory is the shutdown of a water main serving this area for emergency maintenance. The shutdown triggered a loss of pressure in the system. This can cause harmful microbes to enter the water supply, which can result in diarrhea, nausea, and headaches. There have been reports of yellow, opaque water in apartments south of campus and in campus buildings.
The text of the advisory can be found at https://poly.rpi.edu/s/65v99.