ADAMS — It could be the middle of next week before Adams residents can drink tap water or cook without boiling it first, as testing continues to be sure the system is clear of suspected contamination.

Around town Friday, word of that brought frowns and shrugs.

A boil-water order was issued around 9 a.m. Thursday, after the Adams Fire District, which oversees distribution of water from three wells in Cheshire, was directed to take that action late Wednesday by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Results of water samples taken Thursday, after steps to disinfect the system with chlorine began, are expected back Saturday.

But because the DEP normally requires two consecutive days of clear test results, monitoring is likely to continue into next week, according to John Barrett, superintendent of the Adams Fire District.

The boil order is forcing Adams restaurants to stop serving tap water and taking precautions with foods cooked in water.

Word of the order arrived as restaurants were preparing for the lunch trade Thursday.

Chee's Chinese at 13 Columbia St. delayed opening for a few minutes that day as employees reviewed the situation. A sign on the front door Friday advised customers that, because of the water problem, the restaurant was not serving tap water, tea, coffee, ice or fountain sodas.

At the Red Carpet Restaurant on Park Street, employees shut down the ice machine and are boiling water for the prescribed minute before going on to cook with it.

Co-owner Ann Bartlett praised her staff for adjusting quickly to the problem, but called the news from the fire district a "bombshell."

"Everybody's frustrated. It's not anything a business wants to go through," Bartlett said.

When told the order could remain in effect into next week, Bartlett shook her head from behind the counter at the rear of the eatery. Regulars were trickling in for the restaurant's Friday specialty: fish and chips.

"We're all praying it's sooner, because it's not easy for business, I'll tell you that," she said.

Ben Acquista, owner of The Daily Grind nearby on Park Street, said his restaurant received lots of calls from people asking whether it is serving coffee.

He is using bottled water to satisfy the coffee faithful, even opening bottles of water to rinse newly cooked pasta headed for salads.

"It makes us more cautious and thoughtful," Acquista said of the boil order, even calling that a kind of "silver lining" to the situation. He does not blame the fire district for following protocols outlined by the DEP.

"I understand that they have to be careful and certainly don't blame them," Acquista said.

Residents interviewed Friday seemed to be taking the water problem in stride, shifting to bottled water — if they didn't use it already.

Adams resident Julie Mendel said that when the boil order came Thursday, she was taking care of her grandchildren. They didn't seem phased by her preoccupation at the stove.

"I was boiling water all day," she said. "It's an inconvenience for people with families. But it's just me and my daughter, and I can make due."

At the Adams Council on Aging, Friday lunch was served as usual, since all meals are prepared off-site in Lanesborough. Bottled water was supplied.

Later Friday afternoon, a four-member town Department of Public Works crew arrived at the Council on Aging site, at 3 Hoosac St., with three pallets of bottled water, the equivalent of 252 cases of water.

The supplies were donated by Ice River Springs plant in Pittsfield, according to Erica Girgenti, the council's executive director.

The donated water is intended for elderly and disabled residents, who are considered to be at greater risk of waterborne contaminants.

Residents need only show proof of residence, which can include their name on a piece of received mail, to pick up a case of water, Girgenti said.

"We do have a trolley and can help them get it to their car," she said.

The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Copies of the boil notice also are available for pickup.

The Big Y supermarket in Adams also was stocking up on bottled water, according to Raanan Hartman, a sales and merchandising mentor based in Pittsfield. It had brought in two trailer loads of bottled water and was expecting another delivery overnight Friday.

Hartman said the store has 24 pallets on hand in a variety of bottle sizes, with store personnel available to help customers lug away their purchases.

"Customers were just flocking in," he said Friday. They carried away water in bottles, gallons and 4-gallon containers, nearly 20 pallets worth so far this week.

At the senior center, Girgenti said not all seniors seem alarmed by the boil notice.

"Some people are rolling the dice, and others are really concerned," she said.

At the Firehouse Cafe site on Park Street, owner Bill Kolis was preparing to host the 45th reunion of his 1973 graduating class at Hoosac Valley Regional High School.

An ice machine continued to churn out cubes, but Kolis planned to run to a convenience store for bagged ice from out of town — if he could find it. He expected about 40 classmates to attend.

He seemed sanguine about the hiccup in the water system, even a bit puckish.

"You can wash your clothes," he said, "as long as you don't chew on them."

Future testing

Barrett, the fire district superintendent, said his office was deluged with calls Thursday.

"We were inundated. The phones never stopped ringing, and there were four of us answering. It was horrible," he said.

The call volume tailed off Friday, down to 40 or 50 instead of the more than 400 received the day the order went out.

Barrett said it is up to the DEP to say when the boil notice can be lifted. He is prepared to continue water sampling Monday and Tuesday, in case the agency sticks with its normal requirement of two consecutive days of clear results. A timeline of how the district responded to the water problem is available in an accompanying story.

Obtaining those results is not possible over the weekend, he said, because the Hatfield lab is not open Sundays.

"You don't know what the DEP will allow you to do until you get it back in writing," Barrett said.

If the Monday and Tuesday samples are required, it is possible the order could be lifted after test results for the Tuesday sample are made available Wednesday.

Larry Parnass can be reached at lparnass@berkshireeagle.com, at @larryparnass on Twitter and 413-496-6214.