Commissioner Fritz: Leadership

We thank Commissioner Amanda Fritz for her steadfast defense of our drinking water and pocketbooks. While some on the Portland City Council ask our congresssional delegation to provide information, she provides sorely needed leadership in her renewed call for a halt to unnecessary and wasteful construction.  Excerpts from her statement are below. "With the decision of the Environmental Protection Agency to review the Safe Drinking Water Act regulation often referred to as LT2, with respect to open reservoirs in New York, the City of Portland should halt plans to move forward with Kelly Butte underground reservoir construction until further regulatory review is completed." "If there is a chance that we can save water ratepayers money, we need to take a timeout and review our options." "In light of the recent success of New York Senators Schumer and Gillibrand to win a stay on open reservoir coverage in New York, along with White House directives to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens, clearly it is time to reassess Portland's LT2 Compliance policy.  We should start by asking for a change in the schedule for compliance, and the associated multimillion dollar construction projects. Those include the Ultraviolet treatment facility EPA is requiring to treat our Bull Run water even though it doesn't have the Cryptosporidium contaminant, and  underground facilities EPA says are needed to store treated water.  Thorough research by the Water Bureau has shown that treating our source water is unnecessary. EPA has not demonstrated that covering our reservoirs will improve public health, yet we know that it will impose extreme and unnecessary financial burdens on the ratepayers." "...More than 80 individuals and groups from all interests - businesses, unions, environmentalists, neighbors -- ratepayers all -- have signed on to the Water Users group position on this matter, which includes asking for a time out, and seeking regulatory and/or compliance timeline relief." "With this new development by the EPA for New York, I am again asking my colleagues on the Portland City Council to join together with these citizens and others, in asking the EPA to allow the City of Portland to reopen and make changes to our compliance plan and schedule..."   Read her full statement here.