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People of Portland, what you must understand is how this EPA negotiated regulation was written with the deliberate and ignorant intent of closing all open reservoirs in the US, as desired by the revolving door water industry lobbiests. Our super-green gravity flow, water system doesn't make a lot of profit for the water industry, they dislike that a lot. Treatment plants that we don't need will solve that problem for them, and lower our current fabulous water quality. No one has died from crypto infected drinking water since the Wisconsin Crypto incident in 1992. (about 60 old and infirm died, not 100) There are 9 types of Crypto, only two from human waste and Cattle waste are dangerous to humans. The LT2 regulation is a bogus, flawed and un-scientific requirement when applied to a pristine watershed like ours.

Also, please note, the Bull Run is a basin to the west of Mt. Hood, set aside for the sole purpose of Portland's city water by Pres. Benj. Harrison in 1892. The US muni watershed law of 1940 required cities to log or pay the Feds for not logging. 8 years later, logging began in our Bull Run. At least 25% has been logged until stopped by Congress. That was a tough fight. Time now to get Congress to recognise that Portland's water is outside the ken of the bumbling EPA.

It's great that our current Water Commissioner and Water Bureau  say they'll protect our watershed, but it's the heart of our source of water so clean EPA can't cope with it. and it took 8 years for logging to begin in 1948, after a similar pro-logging industry law.

Also, didn't our water rates go up 17.8% on July 1 this year. The Water Bureau & Rob Manning said that the raise will be next year. Which is true?

posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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Portland's entire water system, with it's isolated, controlled entry watershed, is a gift from Oregon's 1890s low tech past. Our present open reservoirs, and elegant, inexpensive, minimally treated, system has worked admirably for over 100 years, and is like something designed from a very green future. This was beyond the understanding of the D.C. court, and so, a mis-applied, pro-water industry LT2 law threatens to LOWER our water quality. That is unless Portlander's convince our Congressional delegation, and our  "perennially-eager-to-filter" Water Bureau,  that we love and respect the reality we have; safe water almost directly from Oregon rain. The solution is to fight for the exemption that our water deserves, and encourage our Water Bureau and our leaders to embrace the proven-sustainable green system we have. We should spend instead, to maintain it well. How strange if one of the greenest cities on Earth slides into letting our water become needlessly chemically over-treated, so much that our watershed can be opened, so after that, we then require that treatment.

posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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