While officials and workers continued trying to fix problems at the Greenville Municipal Authority's water plant, residents continued boiling their drinking water to comply with Monday's order by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

"I think everyone is pretty worried," said Tracey Ischo, owner of Carini's Restaurant on Main Street. "We're serving bottled water and pop but we left it up to the customer if they wanted to drink coffee."

Ms. Ischo said she kept soft drink prices the same as fountain drinks, even though it costs more to serve bottled pop and water. "It's a lot cheaper coming out of the pop machine. It's like pennies compared to dollars," she said Tuesday, adding that business had definitely dropped off during the two days since Greenville's water-crisis began.

"We had to get bottled pop because there is no way to boil the water before it goes through the machine," said a manager at the Burger King on Hadley Road in Hempfield Township, who identified herself only as Judy. "We had to shut our ice machine off. It has affected business very much."

Over at the Greenville Dinor on South Mercer Street, Manager Patty Santell said the situation was upsetting but she didn't think it altered business Tuesday in any way. She said she was upset by the problem because many of the restaurant's customers wanted to drink water with their food and she couldn't serve it.

Although businesses continued to suffer Tuesday, students at Thiel College in the borough got some good news. When water supplies dipped to dangerously low levels Monday, students were told to flush only solid wastes and not to take showers or baths. Those restrictions were lifted Tuesday afternoon, although students were encouraged to take short showers and baths and not to drink from fountains or sinks, said Elizabeth Hildebrand, Thiel's director of public relations.

Water trucked in from Palmer Pools of Mercer is being distributed to students and staff near the Howard Miller Student Center and Davis Square Apartments, she said.

Thiel faculty traded shifts, passing out water to students or staff. Linda Lewis of academic records, who started her shift at about noon Tuesday, said only one person -- a professor -- had come to her for a jug of drinking water.

Greenville schools and St. Michael's School were closed Tuesday, but Dick Miller, treasurer of the Greenville Municipal Authority Board, said classes would resume today.

At UPMC Horizon patients were provided with bottled water and the kitchen used it for cooking, said Brian MacMurrary, director of security services.

Even before the boil-water and conservation advisories were issued, hospital officials had decided to shut off all water fountains and icemakers, he said.

Greenville Fire Chief Steve Thompson said the hospital's drinking water supply and its dry sprinklers -- those with water held back with air in freezer units of the hospital -- are connected to the treatment plant's problem area.

"We're aware of the problem and we're paying very close attention to it. The authority is also helpful with calling and keeping us informed," MacMurray said.

Two "water buffaloes" -- 400-gallon tankers -- were taken to the hospital Monday night, but the supply hadn't been used Tuesday because the hospital's water supply wasn't interrupted, he said.

And while most residents and businesses were on high alert, others were unfazed.

An employee at The Donut Shop on Main Street said she knew nothing about a water problem and none of the patrons who came in Tuesday morning for coffee even mentioned it.