Save the Date: City Council Hearing February 1, 2012

Good News!

Yesterday we sent a letter to Commissioner Randy Leonard requesting that that he move immediately to schedule a City Council hearing before the Portland Water Bureau submits the City’s revised LT2 open reservoir compliance timeline to the Oregon Health Authority. Ratepayers and the Portland City Council deserve a transparent public engagement process to discuss this important issue, rather than allowing the Water Bureau to unilaterally make a decision on this controversial $400 million issue.

He responded that he will schedule a Council hearing next Wednesday (February 1). The agenda will be posted this Friday afternoon so we will not know until then whether it will be in morning or afternoon. Please stay posted for timeline and points to consider in preparing in your testimony. Thank you!

Bull Run Water - the most protected in the nation

While we await the results of further tests of Bull Run water, it’s important to review the basic facts. Portland has the most protected drinking watershed in the country. It’s specifically protected from infectious sources of Cryptosporidium (humans and domestic animals). The most expensive, intensive monitoring in the nation revealed zero Cryptosporidium in our water over the last ten years. Though there has been evidence of some oocysts (likely non-infectious to humans) in the past, there has never been, in over 100 years, any evidence of cryptosporidiosis infection originating in Bull Run water.  Regardless of the outcome of genotyping (which we support), there is no evidence that the single oocyst found at the intake was capable of infecting anyone. So long as protections remain in place, Bull Run water is the safest in the nation.  A treatment plant constructed to deal with a theoretical risk of cryptosporidiosis originating from this source would be a huge waste of precious and limited public resources.

Comments Submitted to OHA from Diverse Coalition

Our group letter containing comments on the proposed variance from the LT2 Bull Run source water treatment requirement was submitted to the Oregon Health Authority on January 3, 2011. Huge thanks to everyone who worked on the letter! View this link to see signees.

The final decision on the variance and conditions will be announced January 31, 2012.

Stay posted...