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Couple caught skinny-dipping in city's drinking water reservoir
"Not only did this foolish act threaten the cleanliness of Portland's drinking water, it was just plain dangerous," says Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff. "These two individuals could have easily found themselves in a precarious situation where extremely cold water temperatures and a difficult rescue situation could have made drowning a real possibility." (OregonLive.com)
July 1, 2008 | Permalink
Comments
They couldn't just drive to a lake?--oh wait....gas prices....
Posted by: twerp | Jul 1, 2008 6:12:02 AM
Does this reservoir have a lid?! I mean, don't animals poop in that water all the time anyway?
Weird.
Posted by: Sean, Torrington CT | Jul 1, 2008 6:19:08 AM
It does seem a bit in keeping with the times to be concerned with people skinny dipping while birds may be flying overhead pooping, fish may be urinating in the water, etc. And unless the water is pumped out of the ground (and even then, who knows) it's been SOMEWHERE ELSE.
I drink only Chicago Lake Michigan water, but even I'm concerned about what those people in Milwaukee are doing to it. The mayor can tell you.
Posted by: Janky-o | Jul 1, 2008 6:22:23 AM
Reminds me of Petticoat Junction!
Posted by: cherie | Jul 1, 2008 6:31:09 AM
this is the exact reason i drink BEER!!!!
and if i can skinny dip in that while drinking it i would!
it has to go into a treatment facility and made dirty before it get to you any way. so whats the problem?
Posted by: AngrySockMonkey | Jul 1, 2008 6:35:24 AM
this is the exact reason i drink BEER!!!!
and if i can skinny dip in that while drinking it i would!
it has to go into a treatment facility and made dirty before it get to you any way. so whats the problem?
Posted by: AngrySockMonkey | Jul 1, 2008 6:35:31 AM
Pictures. I demand pictures.
Is there any security at this place? After all these years since 9/11 people shouldn't be able to get 100 feet from being able to put stuff (including their private parts) in a drinking water reservoir.
Posted by: G-Man | Jul 1, 2008 6:37:31 AM
Shouldn't there be a fence around the reservoir? And don't they treat the reservoir water? Sounds like they've got more problems with their water system than just a couple of skinny dippers.
IIRC, federal law says that municipalities are supposed to either cover open reservoirs or install secondary treatment plants.
Posted by: Phranqlin | Jul 1, 2008 7:01:55 AM
Cherie-- on Petticoat Junction; that wasn;t Hooterville's drinking supply. That water tower was on the railroad to fill the Cannonball's steam boiler.
For the rest of you, I had no life in the 1960s so I can and will gladly provide excrutinglty detailed sitcom minutiea upon request.
Posted by: Bill | Jul 1, 2008 7:06:16 AM
in google maps, looks like people have grafitti-ed the edges of the reservoir, so i'd bet lots of people swim in there.
anyways, i had friends in alamaba who would swim in the water tower-reserviors as kids. they would climb up the side, cut the bolt and jump in. they said they were filled with chain-wires you can hold on to. it's scary to think about now, but they said it was fun back then.
Posted by: The_Overdog | Jul 1, 2008 7:20:13 AM
Yummy
Posted by: Dick C. Normas | Jul 1, 2008 7:20:54 AM
Thanks Bill I was born in the mid-60's and the ONLY part of that show I remember is the scene where they're swimming in the water tower. I had no idea what it was for. Not that I'll ever use that information but it certainly clarifies those ever confusing toddler memories for me : )
Posted by: cherie | Jul 1, 2008 7:34:44 AM
Are you kidding me? The fact that animals poop and die in this pond make this a non-issue. At worst, the couple should be fined for trespassing.
P.S. Here's the coordinates. I think the lake on the west is for drinking water. 45.51071,-122.59322
Posted by: Aaron | Jul 1, 2008 7:43:02 AM
DRASTIC GAS PRICES FORCE PEOPLE TO DO MORE DRASTIC ACTIONS
Posted by: | Jul 1, 2008 8:05:11 AM
Yeah, this seems to be a bit of over kill on the part of the town. They damn well better be treating that water if it's that damn accessible. It looks like someone is trying to over inflate their job here by making a mountain out of a mole hill...
Posted by: R | Jul 1, 2008 8:52:36 AM
The thing about Mt Tabor- it's a city park, in a very populated area. The reservoir is at the top, really a bunch of giant tanks with a fence around them.
There is a walking path leading to them, and it wouldn't be that hard to get in if you wanted to. The stupidity here is with the City of Portland not securing the area, with say, lids.
Posted by: Beckmaster | Jul 1, 2008 8:54:32 AM
OMG! SHOCKING!
I can't decide which is more silly:
- getting upset about skinnydippers in the reservior
- writing a news story about it
- public officials harping about 'the danger'
Presumably Portland has a water treatment plant that processes the water BEFORE it goes in the pipes, right? If not, well, they got plenty of other problems to worry about...
Posted by: Paul | Jul 1, 2008 9:58:00 AM
On Petticoat Junction it was only the Train's engine water the girls went skinny dipping in.
This is just nasty.
Nevertheless, all city water goes through purifiers, or at least should. Even water out of the ground can be contaminated by bacteria.
Posted by: Charles Brobst | Jul 1, 2008 3:16:45 PM
forgive me...
Now Portlands water has a distinct fishy taste.
again I apologize
Posted by: yucca | Jul 1, 2008 5:45:28 PM
W.C.Fields would have had fun with this one.
Posted by: thomas | Jul 2, 2008 8:29:49 AM
Ahhhhhhh yes. Lovely Portland. Where it is too expensive to cap a reservoir but they can find money to fund a tram that services a rather exclusive section of town.
The city council regularly to cater to the socialist voters who want to make Portland into the western hemispheres Paris, France...
Posted by: whyaskwhy | Jul 2, 2008 8:58:34 AM
So we have warrantless wiretapping and we're planning to fence off the entire Mexico border in the name of national security, but anybody who wants to can get to this reservoir and dump whatever he wants into it.
Yep I feel safe.
Posted by: Dan | Jul 3, 2008 5:29:14 AM
W. C. Fields DID have fun with this. He never drank water because "fish screw in it."
Posted by: Russ | Jul 3, 2008 6:18:30 AM
