Urinating Teen Prompts Portland Reservoir Flush, Leaving Many Peed Off

"The city of Portland, Ore., is flushing 38 million gallons of drinking water down the drain because a 19-year-old man urinated in an open reservoir early Wednesday morning, city water officials said, prompting criticism from some who called the move 'wasteful.'

The 50 million-gallon-capacity reservoir was taken offline and was tested for possible contamination, following the teenager's antics. Portland Water Bureau spokeswoman Jaymee Cuti said Thursday that test water samples taken from the reservoir, which holds water that has already been treated and goes directly into mains for distribution to customers, came back clean.

But even before the results were in, the city decided to 'discard' 38 million gallons of water and clean the reservoir, said David Shaff, the Portland Water Bureau administrator.

'The basic commandment of the Water Bureau is to provide clean, cold and constant water to its customers,' Shaff said Wednesday. 'And the premise behind that is we don't have pee in it.'"

Aljazeera America had the story April 17, 2014.

SEE ALSO:

"Pee in the Reservoir: What You Need To Know (Q&A)" (Portland Oregonian)