The Mount Tabor Reservoir in Portland, Oregon, has been taken offline because a man was seen on security video urinating into it Wednesday morning about 1AM. Two other men were seen trying to scale the fence, one successfully. As a result, 38 million gallons of water will be flushed from the reservoir.
“That water goes directly into people's homes," David Shaff, Portland Water Bureau administrator said. "There is no way to re-treat it."
The three teens were cited for trespassing and one for public urination. Additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues.
"We are not in the arid Southwest," Shaff said, "We have hundreds of millions of gallons available, so that makes it an easy call for me" to discard the water. He estimated the cost of cleaning and replacing the water at several thousand dollars.
This is not the first time the Mount Tabor reservoir has been drained because a man peed in it. An incident in 2011 caused 7.8 million gallons to be flushed. Federal regulations now say that water reservoirs must be covered, a project that Portland will complete in 2015. -via Arbroath
This is the same 'green' city that has public water fountains that don't shut off, constantly running and wasting clean water day and night.
That's public service for you.