Building 19 Loves That Dirty Water

Building #19 has long been one of Bostonist's favorite discount outlets. From weight-loss shakes to OJ Simpson trivia to remote control holsters and more, we have turned to the store for all our discontinued product needs. Though age and reliability is sometimes in questions with goods purchased there, Bostonist has never been as skeptical as we are with the new Charles River bottled water many of the store locations are now stocking. Sure, the Charles is cleaner now than it has been in decades, but given that it's unlikely to reach the EPA's goal of "Swimable by Earth Day 2005," we'd hardly want to down a bottle of the stuff after a run down the Esplanade.

The "Charles water" is apparently a joke, and is actually bottled by the Adirondack Beverages Corporation from a spring in Scotia, N.Y. Sales of the water even go to a noble cause -- that is, actually cleaning up the river. A portion of the proceeds raised will be donated by Building #19 to the Cambridge River Watershed Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to the clean-up and preservation of the river.

So head to your nearest Building #19 and take a drink from the "Charles." And while you're there, why not pick up some "irregular candy," a roll of artificial grass, or a Fenway snow globe.