Draining 240 milℓ of water after a man urinated in it

Portland, Oregon disposed of eight million gallons of drinking water because a man was caught on camera urinating in a reservoir, the Times reported last Saturday.

The Portland Water Bureau spent about $ 36,000 to drain the 7.8 million-gallon open reservoir after cameras caught 21-year-old Josh Seater from Molalla, Oregon, urinating in the major water source for the city’s residents in Mount Tabor Park at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

David Shaff, an official from the water bureau, argued that the draining was justified because the thought of someone whizzing in the water would make residents stop tap water.

The culprit apologized, saying that he was drunk, and didn't realize that he was peeing in a water supply because it was so dark outside, "I thought it was a sewage plant." Seater has not been charged.

Critics call it an overreaction, saying animals routinely defecate and urinate in the reservoirs and sometimes die in them. Health officials say that urine is sterile in healthy people and that the urine was so diluted it posed little health risk.

"It's inappropriate behavior. But how many animals are doing that or birds?" said Dave Stone, assistant professor of Toxicology at Oregon State University. "I don't want to second-guess the city, but I can't think of anything chemically that would have me be concerned."

Dr. Gary Oxman, the Multnomah County health officer who advises the city on infectious disease issues, also explained that the typical bladder holds a mere 6-8 ounces of water, which should quickly dilute in the reservoir and pose negligible health risks.