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The Bull Run watershed is unique with respect to the federal protections in place. No other watershed (including the watersheds of the 5 other large unfiltered systems, NY, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston and Tacoma) has Bull Run's level of federal protections. Some of the legislated protections have been in place for 100 years and some enacted by Congress in 2001.  New York has two watersheds and issues not of concern with Bull Run.  

posted 3 years, 10 months ago
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Portland's water rates are on the rise THIS YEAR with both the base charge and rate charge raised in July by 18% (see Sept. bill) in part for the unnecessary LT2 projects- reservoir burial and design of a treatment plant (chemical filtration or UV radiation).

Portland just participated in an AWWA research foundation infectious Crypto study (ending in May '09), testing large volumes of finished water ( 300 L per week), the water delivered to customers. ZERO crypto were detected. This study was inclusive of the open reservoirs. When stakeholders learned of the study in 2008 we were told that this study would be of benefit in securing protections for the open reservoirs as well as source water. Now the Bureau fails to speak of the study.

Spending $1 billion dollars (with debt service) for a non-existent problem is wasteful. If ratepayers had that kind of cash to spend on public health there are far better ways to spend it.

A treatment plant does not eliminate the possiblity of Crypto - the 1993 Milw. WI outbreak took place in a system with sewage in the  watershed and a state-of-the-art filtration plant in place. Watershed protection is the primary protection barrier against Crypto and a variety of other contaminants.

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LT2 is a "public health" regulation and yet the rule requires little to nothing up front from the filtered systems that have real public health problems with Crypto (i.e. Milw, WI). Filtered systems are required to test very small amounts of water and if they detect small amounts of Crypto, the EPA requires no action because of concerns regarding false positives with their testing methodology.

With regard to the LT2 open reservoir requirements, a variance is allowed, New York is applying for an open reservoir variance for its Hillview reservoir.  Senator Merkley has committed to seeking alternatives for the open reservoirs as well in that this requirement was inserted in the rule without any science or data to support such an insertion.

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When talking about a source water "variance" from the EPA, keep in mind that EPA's testing methodology HV1623 is incapable of distinguishing dead, harmless Crypto genotypes or varieties from those infectious to humans ( from cows and humans). 

The current sampling plan would have Portland testing 54,000 liters of water (compare to problematic filtered systems that are required to test just 600 liters per year) and if we detect four dead, noninfectious Crypto we would be over the limit.

Note that the Portland Water Bureau has been designing a UV radiation facility for over a year throughout 2008.

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 More than 21 community groups and representatives have written to the Congressional delegation seeking legislative relief from the onerous and unsupported LT2 requirements both for the open reservoirs and Bull Run source water- avoiding the budget-burgeoning corporate-benefiting projects that will create new risks and provide no measurable public health benefit. 

  

Friends of the Reservoirs, Oregon Wild,Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association,South Tabor Neighborhood Association, 

Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association, State Representative Ben Cannon, Neighbors West/ Northwest Coalition of Neighborhoods (representing 10 neighborhoods),Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Coalition (representing 20 neighborhoods),PSU Capstone Water Quality class- 2008 Winter Term studying LT2/ Bull Run, 

Southeast Uplift Liveability Committee,Hosford-Abernathy Neighborhood Association Chair, Sustainability Comm. Chair,

 Portland Utility Review Board Chairs Paulette Rossi and Frank Ray (past chair), Mill Park Neighborhood Association,

Rock Bottom Brewery, Eastside Democrats,Alliance for Democracy- Portland Chapter, Pleasant Valley Neighborhood Association, Alsco American Linen, Hopworks Brewery, Richmond Neighborhood Association,Craft Brewer’s AllianceWidmer Brothers Brewery

posted 3 years, 10 months ago
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