To Drain or Not To Drain?

The best part of this article are some of the comments on it…I’ve included some at the bottom…

Oregon’s Portland Water Bureau is draining an 8 million-gallon reservoir after surveillance cameras caught a man urinating into it this week.

The move will cost the water bureau $35,000  $28,000 in lost revenue and $7,500 in disposal costs, CNN affiliate KATU-TV reports.

Is that worth it when the urine involved is really a drop in the bucket?

Scientifically, no, said Dave Stone, an assistant professor of toxicology at Oregon State University, who spoke to The Oregonian newspaper about the, er, leak.

“How many animals are doing that or birds?” Stone asked. “I don’t want to second-guess the city, but I can’t think of anything chemically that would have me be concerned.”

Dr. Gary Oxman, a Multnomah County health officer, also told The Oregonian: “The health risk associated with that is really, really tiny.”

A healthy bladder holds up to 16 ounces of urine, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Water bureau administrator David Shaff told KATU it’s not about the science.

“There are people who will say it’s an overreaction,” he said. “I don’t think so. I think just dealing with the ‘yuck factor,’ I can imagine how many people would be saying, ‘I made orange juice with that water this morning. That’s not what I want to hear.’ ”

And City Commissioner Randy Leonard told CNN affiliate KGW-TV that the water in the Mount Tabor reservoir is chlorinated before it enters the reservoir.”The water that’s in the reservoir that you see is literally the water that you drink,” Leonard said.

Sgt. Pete Simpson of the Portland Police Bureau told KGW the whole mess didn’t have to be.

“It’s really an unfortunate incident that probably could have been avoided had he chosen a bush,” Simpson said.

Comments:

Shampoohorns Well, if you ever wanted to pee in that reservoir, I say now go for it!

Ricky Get a water filter.

cdogg I made lemonade with that water this morning and it tasted fine!

Morris Is that why people from Portland have such white healthy teeth?

backstroke in other news, at least 300 ounces of urine has been deposited into the reservoir prior to the installation of cameras

Jimbo Well if a guy can walk up and pee in the drinking water supply what is stopping someone from filling up a massive super sooker with lsd and squirting it into the water? The issue doesn’t seem to be that someone urinated in the water and they had to empty it but that our water supply is so easily tampered with. Although I would enjoy a whole city full of freaks on acid, it is a scary thought. 

  • Freshies Oh man, that would totally make my day today.
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