(April 17, 2014 at 1:26 pm)Kitanetos Wrote:Quote:Portland, Oregon is flushing 38 million gallons of drinking water down the drain because a 19-year-old man urinated in an open reservoir early on Wednesday morning, city water officials said.
The 50-million-gallon reservoir was taken off line and was tested for possible contamination and the results will be known Thursday. But in the meantime, the city has decided to "discard" 38 million gallons of water and clean the reservoir, Shaff said.
"That water goes directly into people's homes," David Shaff, Portland Water Bureau administrator said. "There is no way to re-treat it."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sns...9943.story
Clearly, Portland is not smart enough to understand that a small portion of urine is not going to contaminate a huge supply of water.
First: The loss of the water by draining the reservoir has no impact on the water supply....Portland is that flush with water. That same reservoir was drained 3 weeks earlier for annual cleaning.
Second: The utility doesn't want to serve water that has been deliberately contaminated.
Third: The utility is well aware that one person peeing into the reservoir doesn't pose a health risk. Wild animals pee and poop into it all the time.
I don't see this as being any different than providing ass gaskets at restrooms. It isn't necessary but it makes people feel better.
