Denver Airport Hopes You Like Prewrapped Hummus Platters

There aren't many enjoyable things to be found in a crowded airport terminal besides food. For business travelers, there's something wonderful about being able to eat alone. For families, a trip to the food court is a guaranteed way to get kids to sit down, be quiet, and convince their parents not to cancel the entire vacation. This week, air travel might be less pleasant than usual for those headed through Denver International Airport, because cloudy water has forced airport restaurants to stop serving fresh food.

Speaking to Colorado's KDVR, airport spokesperson Alex Renteria said that the cloudy water is due to routine maintenance of the decades-old plumbing. Sediment regularly builds up in the airport's pipes, necessitating a flushing of the entire system. The scheduled maintenance has been happening overnight, and will continue through Friday, November 8. Despite the flushing, murky water filled with excess sediment can linger, and has been coming out of restaurant faucets.

The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment has been monitoring the situation, claiming that the water is safe to drink, though it does look rather unpleasant. Out of an abundance of caution, airport restaurants have been instructed to immediately stop preparing and selling food if employees notice any discolored water, and may only sell packaged foods until the water once again runs clear.

According to Renteria, the majority of passengers should not notice any change in food service, but who among us has ever fully believed a positive statement from an airport spokesperson? If you're swinging through DEN this week, you might need to get yourself excited about eating beef jerky while trudging around Brookstone. There are worse things.