Boil-water order remains for second day in Montreal, citizens scramble for coffee

A boil-water order remains in effect for a second day for most of the city of Montreal, and it will remain in effect until at least the evening, as city officials deal with problems at the Atwater filtration plant.

Water test results are expected later Thursday and will take some time to analyze after that, meaning that citizens “will be going to bed” without knowing if the water is safe, reports CTV Montreal.

The boil-water order began Wednesday around 10:30 a.m., after routine maintenance at the Atwater filtration plant — the province’s largest — went wrong. Sediment, which is likely non-toxic and probably doesn’t contain bacteria, was released into the water supply when levels in a reservoir got too low, reports The Gazette. The result was murky water and a boil-water order affecting an estimated 1.8 million residents.

The extended order, which tells citizens to boil any water used for drinking for a minimum of one minute, had Montrealers grumbling Thursday morning.

Notably, Tim Horton’s and Starbucks stopped serving coffee, much to the horror of early risers who used Twitter to voice their displeasure.