Joined: Jun 09 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 406833
Topic: Man Pees and City Flushes 38 Mil Gals of Water Posted: Apr 17 2014 at 2:31pm
One Man's Pee Pushes Portland To Flush 38 Million Gallons Of Water
by
There are signs around the reservoirs in
Portland's Mount Tabor Park that warn against putting anything in the
water. They apparently didn't dissuade one young man from urinating into
the city's drinking supply this week.
Randy L. Rasmussen /The Oregonian/Landov
Though they concede it's unlikely the public was endangered,
officials in Portland, Ore., have decided to drain 38 million gallons of
water from a reservoir after a young man was observed urinating into it
on Wednesday.
Our colleagues note that the — from a
distance. "Three unidentified men," OPB writes, "were cited for
trespassing after being stopped at the site early Wednesday morning. One
was also cited for public urination. The Multnomah County District
Attorney's Office will decide whether to pursue criminal charges."
After Portland Water Bureau officials saw what happened, they decided the water in the kidney-shaped reservoir needs to go.
, "Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish says flushing 38 million
gallons of water after a man urinated in the Mt. Tabor Reservoir system
is the correct call, even if it prompts complaints that the city is
overreacting or wasting water."
"I didn't have a choice," Fish
said, according to the newspaper. "I don't have the luxury of slicing it
too thin when there's a potential risk, however small, to public
health. Frankly, it's one of those calls where you know you're likely to
be criticized no matter what. The professionals who report to me all
said, 'Dump the water. Don't take any chances.' It's the conservative
but correct call."
The open reservoirs at the facility, OPB
reports, "hold water that has already been treated and goes directly
into mains for distribution to customers."
This is not the
first time Portland has dealt with such a problem. In 2011, a man was
caught after urinating into a reservoir. He pleaded guilty to a
misdemeanor charge of "misuse of a reservoir." the guilty reliever was sentenced to 24 hours of community service at a local food pantry.
The Oregonian that:
"Strange
things end up in Portland's water supply all the time, with minimal
risk or impact to users. ... In 2008, a man and a woman caught skinny
dipping in Mt. Tabor were sentenced to 16 hours of community service
each. ...
"The federal government has ordered Portland and
other cities with open-air reservoirs to cover them. City leaders are
waiting on results of a May ballot measure that could shift control of
the Water Bureau from the City Council to a new independently elected
board to decide how to proceed."
The 2011
flushing and cleanup cost about $35,000, according to the newspaper.
Officials aren't sure how much this latest incident will cost the city.
Mostly all the water we drink goes through the reverse osmosis process. What it was before.....you probably don't wanna know. So one man's pee vs 7 billion people on the planet......so, yeah.
Joined: Jan 19 2011
Location: California
Status: Offline
Points: 29049
Posted: Apr 17 2014 at 8:25pm
Makes me wonder how many times things like this happen and no one see, or nothing is done about it. He should be made to pay whatever it cost the city to clean up this situation.
Joined: Oct 01 2004
Location: Nevereverland
Status: Offline
Points: 51531
Posted: Apr 18 2014 at 1:32am
Really, Portland...You flushed 38 million gallons of water over 4 oz of piss. Wouldn't the 38 gallons of water dilute the 4 oz of pee? Ya'll don't have a filtration system or add chemicals. What about birds that fly over and drop piss and sh*t in the water, leaves that get blown into the water...Yeah Portland could and should have saved the city $35,000.
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