Its back to normal now-2 weeks ahead of schedule (except for Saugus)-again, huge kudos to all who got this worked out.

As to the alternate drinking source-you are correct-it was to maintain pressure in the lines, moreso than provide a clean source of water-hence the boil orders. They didnt filter, only chlorinated, from what I understand. People were advised to run their taps for about 15 minutes to flush the pipes, then they would be fine.