Cell phone alert over boil water order causes confusion for some residents

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Around 11 p.m. Tuesday, people across our area received an alert on their cell phones about a boil water order following the water main break. Many people who received it were not even in the affected area.

Rose is a Chicopee resident. She was trying to enjoy her Tuesday night when her phone started going off.

“The phone made a loud sound, one I never hear before,” Rose said.

On her screen was an alert sent by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, or MEMA, to boil tap water. It came after a water main break in Springfield Tuesday, which caused her to worry.

“To receive the thing that makes you nervous and makes you think perhaps you’re a part of it and they just didn’t list all the surrounding towns,” Rose noted.

However, Rose, who asked to remain off-camera, wasn’t the only person. Many people we spoke with Wednesday received the same alert. We learned even some Connecticut residents received it, so we reached out to MEMA to get you answers.

MEMA explained that the alert was sent Tuesday night at the request of Springfield emergency management officials. However, they noted that the alert can also reach people outside of the area, depending on factors like the phone’s location, cell phone carrier, and the phone’s age.

The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission added that the “geo alert” was sent to the greater Springfield region to notify Springfield residents of the boil order, as well as those who do not reside in Springfield or Ludlow, but may be in the area for things like business, school, medical appointments, and entertainment.

We asked Rose if the alert reached farther than it should have. She was unsure.

“Maybe it’s a precautionary thing that maybe if we’re going into that area, we’ll know to be careful with drinking their water,” Rose said.

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