Floods cut Princeton's supply to fresh water

Besides last spring's victory on Princeton's basketball court, Penn students have an additional reason to claim superiority over their counterparts across the Delaware River: the ability to take a shower. Hurricane Floyd's torrential downpours caused a water treatment plant in Bridgewater, N.J., to shut down late Thursday night, forcing area residents -- including Princeton University -- to severely cut down on their water use. And last night, rumors were sweeping the campus that the water might be shut off altogether for up a week. Princeton students have been asked by university officials to temporarily cut back their water usage, which includes refraining from taking showers and washing dishes and clothing, as well as flushing the toilet less frequently. "Some communities to the north of Princeton are entirely without water," Dean of Student Life Janina Montero told students in an e-mail. "Unless we at Princeton reduce water usage significantly, Elizabethtown will be forced to cut off service to major users in this community, possibly including the university," Montero wrote. In addition, the water that is coming out of the tap may be contaminated, officials said. While Elizabeth Langan, director of administrative services at the student health center, said that no illnesses have yet been reported related to the water, the school is taking precautions against possible contamination. To prevent possible illness, students are required to boil water or use bottled water for any consumption. The Elizabethtown Water Company was forced to shut down its main treatment facility, the Raritan-Millstone Treatment Plant, after the nearby Raritan River overflowed, submerging several buildings and knocking others off their foundations, according to company spokesperson Erin Reilly. As one of the larger users of water in the affected areas, Princeton officials received a phone call from the Elizabethtown Water Company after the shutdown asking them to cut down water use on their campus, according to Reilly. University officials agreed to institute voluntary restrictions on water use to prevent having the water shut off completely, Princeton spokesperson Steven Schultz said. Princeton first alerted its students to the problem Friday morning, with World Wide Web and voicemail announcements asking students to conserve water and two e-mails stressing the importance of doing so. The requests were upgraded to commands in an e-mail sent to students on Sunday telling them that water conservation was necessary. "[Students] are definitely, definitely complaining," said senior Sas Silver, who chairs the school's undergraduate life committee. "[However], right now, I don't think that anyone is really that worried," she added. But the main problem, Silver said, is that students have no idea how long the current situation will last. The Elizabethtown Water Company has no definite date as to when full water service will be restored. "[People are] beginning to lose faith that it's going to come back reasonably soon," she said. In addition to measures taken by students, the university has set up water coolers around campus; taken steps to reduce water usage in laboratories; closed pools, ice rinks, laundry rooms and athletic shower rooms; and turned off air conditioners. The school's dining services department is also taking steps to conserve water, including modifying menus and using disposable dishes.