In a decision based more on public relations than hard science, the city of Portland, Oregon, decided to dump millions of gallons of drinking water after someone urinated in a local reservoir.

 

Local water chief David Shaff announced about 7.8 million gallons of water in the Mt. Tabor reservoir will be discarded because 21-year-old Josh Seater was caught on surveillance video relieving himself in the man-made lake that Portland relies on.

 

Critics argued that the water dump represented an overreaction on the part of city officials. Toxicologist Alan Boobis was quoted by the BBC News as being “flabbergasted” by the move. “In a healthy person, urine is sterile. It’s something we can say with confidence—it’s not going to have any impact on anyone whatsoever.”

 

Shaff countered with what he expected local residents would say if given a choice over what to do: “Do you want to drink pee?”

 

He added: “Most people are gonna be pretty damn squeamish about that.”

 

The disposal operation will cost $36,100; $28,500 in lost revenue at retail prices for water and $7,600 in disposal fees. Seater apologized and said he had been drinking and thought the reservoir was a sewage treatment plant. He has not been charged with a criminal offense, although, in the words of police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson, “He's not out of the water yet.”

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Man Caught Urinating in Mount Tabor Reservoir Prompts Portland to Shift Water Supply (by Brad Schmidt, The Oregonian)

Portland Reservoir Urination Raises Few Health or Scientific Concerns -- But It Is Pee (by Brad Schmidt, The Oregonian)

Who, What, Why: Does a Reservoir Need Emptying If Someone Urinates In It? (BBC News)