City of Portland issues a 'boil water notice' after positive E. coli test
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Is Your Home or Business Affected?
Input an address here to find out
Contact the City of Portland Water Bureau at (503) 823-7770 if you have questions or concerns about your water. You can check their online FAQ first to see if you can find an answer there.
Mayor Sam Adams has also been answering questions on Twitter and is urging folks who haven't yet signed up for PublicAlerts to do so to get the latest updates. And you can follow the story under the Twitter hashtag #boilwaterpdx.
PORTLAND, Ore. - E. coli was found in some of the city's drinking water, prompting a 'boil water notice.'
The bacterial contamination was discovered during a routine check of a reservoir in Washington Park and affects the west side of town. It's a big area with a lot of people but the Portland Water Bureau and health officials said they didn't want to take any chances.
"The bottom line is we're being very cautious, very conservative and we hope and we expect that we won't have anybody that becomes ill from drinking water," said David Shaff with the Portland Water Bureau.
"As a community, because so many people are exposed to public drinking water, we act very protectively because there are hundreds of thousands of people - about 130,000 households, I believe, in the impacted area," said Tri-County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Oxman. "That's a lot of people so if there is something going on, we want to be very safe."
Microbes in E. coli contaminated water can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other short-term symptoms. They pose an added risk for young children and the elderly. If you drank some of the water and are experiencing symptoms, see a doctor.
Which areas are affected?
If you live in any of the following areas, you will need to boil your water effective immediately. Follow the link at the end of the list to enter your address on a searchable map.
- Portland Water Bureau west of the Willamette River
- Burlington Water District
- Valley View Water District
- Palatine Hills Water District
- City of Tigard
- Lake Grove Water District
- West Slope Water District
- SEARCHABLE MAP
Now if you live in Hillsboro and you're wondering if this affects you, the Hillsboro Water Department says no, the water there is safe. Here's the notice they sent out on Saturday:
Hillsboro Water Department customers are not affected by the Boil Water Notice released by the Portland Water Bureau (PWB) on Saturday, July 21, 2012. Hillsboro's water is safe to drink because Hillsboro customers receive all of their water from the Joint Water Commission (JWC) Treatment Plant. For more information on the treatment process, please visit the JWC website.
How can I keep my family safe?
For those affected by the boil notice, you'll need to boil your water or use bottled water until you get the all clear. That includes making sure you don't use tap water for making ice, brushing your teeth, washing your dishes or preparing your food.
If you do choose to boil your tap water, make sure you bring it to a rolling boil for one minute and let it cool before you start using it.
And finally, any ice or beverages that you prepared with tap water after July 19 should be discarded.
What's being done by the city?
The reservoir is being drained (it's a process that takes about 24 hours).
Right now the water bureau doesn't know how the water got contaminated - it could have been anything from bird or mammal feces to a dead animal in the water.
Further testing is being done and the city expects to have the results by Sunday morning.
Didn't this happen one other time?
Yes - this isn't the first time that E.coli has been found in this particular reservoir. Back in late 2009, a boil water notice was issued after a positive E.coli test and it was later determined that a seagull was the likely culprit. The reservoir had to be emptied and disinfected at that time as well.
Questions and answers from Mayor Sam Adams
The mayor spent Saturday replying to Tweets to try to answer some of the questions that folks in the city have about their drinking water. Here's a look at some of them. You can also view more on the mayor's Twitter page.
Portland - It's YOUR responsibility to elect officials that have the best interests of the city - overall - at heart, instead of the elitists groups. You have made your bed, now you get to lie in it. And you have been lying in it for more than a decade. Think about it. Is Portland really better off right now? Since Vera Katz and her cronie, Sam Adams, were in office, the city has gone to the dumps. It negates families, it kills schools, and it doesn't take care of the social problems of the gangs. You have a chance with the new election coming up. Don't foul it up!
@washcomom ........all true mom. Vera Katz (and jammers) did nothing and this screwball Adams has been a disaster. But we do it to ourselves on the State level too. Kitzhabers first two terms accomplished nothing. Then Kulongoski for 8 more years of decline. And then what do we do?? Put Kitzhaber back in. This State and it's largest city is in a serious downward spiral. And the citizens have no one to blame but themselves.
Ironically, on the very same day a vote was held in the Senate on "S. 3364: A bill to provide an incentive for businesses to bring jobs back to America."
 It would replace an existing tax-deduction for outsourcing jobs abroad, by a new tax-deduction for insourcing jobs back from abroad.
 Only 40 votes were needed in order to block it by a filibuster.
 42 senators, all of whom were Republicans, voted to filibuster and thus to kill it.
Large international corporations wanted it killed, so as to continue receiving tax-write-offs for shipping jobs to low-wage countries.
republicans said that the election should be about "how will jobs come back to America." This was how Republicans were dealing with that issue...
Why do they Hate American jobs??
Anyone???
Huh ? What's this got to do with the ecoli in the Portland reservoir ? Stay focused and try not to fall asleep.Â
@Mike655mm ........mike, this nitwit is so obsessed he couldn't stay focused on a brick. Even though he's as dumb as one!
Oh No republican talking points have been found in our water.
Wait isn't that human waste??
Same thing....
I'm getting sick and tired of our officials not doing anything. Â This is unacceptable and I will not stand for this anymore. Â I've read multiple responses that people have been diagnosed with E.Coli for days... Just out of the blue. There are families out there feeding there newborns this water and now they finally tell us? Â I've never been so upset. Â it's time for someone new and that actually gives a damn. Â Mayor Sam Adam has done NOTHING... It's supposed to be "his" city, why doesn't he apologize to me and the rest of the citizens and businesses that have taken a hit?
 @KMFJ_15 The city takes ~300 samples per month.  If even 1% of them turn up as false positives, cleared by second test, that would amount to a boil warning every 10 days, give or take.  Is this really want you want?  Chicken Little over-reactions?  As soon as the result came back positive, a second sample was collected -- and when that *confirmed* the first test (the information we do NOT have here currently, is how many come back positive on first, but clear on second), the warning was issued.  E. coli can come from *many* sources, any reports coming in about it before this do not necessarily correlate -- you must have *causality*.  Are all of them coming from *only* the area affected?  Or is it the standard level of background infections, spread throughout the city, which would indicate it's not the water that infected at least some of them.
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Before you start jumping on people's a$5e5, take a moment to collect facts, nu?
@brendan .......good post.
Wonder if this is the cause of my explosive diarreah?
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@Jack_Bauer No, but it might be the cause of your explosive diarrhea. ;)
This must be George Bush's fault. Hell everything else is. (sarcasm) for the slow ones !
I wonder why KATU didn't say anything about this on the news when it happened. I've watched almost every one of the newscasts and heard nothing. My daughter called me from Canyonville this afternoon to tell me about it and about 45 minutes later her sister called me from Newberg......nothing said here where it matters!!! Shame on all of you...I've had company and we've used a good bit of ice and water both so guess we are already contaminated.
And all those who opposed covering the reservoirs along with the citizens who chose not to get involved are continuing to drink bird droppings, animal feces, and anything and everything that gets thrown in or falls in the open reservoirs. Those may have worked well 50 years ago but they are not suitable for today. It is long past time to cover the reservoirs. Of course Randy "The Man Who Would Be King" Leonard would rather spend the money on projects unrelated to water. And, the rest of the City Council is just as guilty.
Multnomah's revenge.
Beaverton? Is this an effected area?
People of Stumptown. This would not happen if you covered your reservoirs. Now go boil your poo water.
Cover the reservoirs? Too expensive. Wonder what the total cost of this will be?
That's like saying. Pave the roads ? Nah, too expensive
Blame the B1rds and CGU11's.
They covered the reservoir where I grew up 40 years ago.  Come on Portland.  Time to join the 20th century.  Oops, it's the 21ST century now isn't it  ??  Start using the water money for WATER projects like this and not pet city council projects
So, after reading the tweets above, ask yourself this: in times of real trouble and/or crisis, Are you really going to listen and trust this knucklehead?? That's why competency and ability matter in civic matters. Vote wisely next time. This experiment was a disaster.
Long URL, but good map at following:
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http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=862ec04e80c54a608d90138fca8fa0bf&extent=-123.1332,45.3,-122.1485,45.7138
YOU MEAN TO TELL YOUR TAX PAYERS SMMIE BOY THEY STILL HAVE TO BOIL THEIR JUST LIKE THEY DID IN THE 1900'S. WHERE DO ALL THESE RATE HIKES GO TO ANYWAY, ABONUS YO YOU AND THE CITY COUNCIL?
this calls for ...increasing the police budget , we dont need to have clean water
@DickCheney2016 THE MAYHOR AND CITY COUNCIL SEAM TO THINK THA POLICE DEPT IS JUST DOING FINE SO NO INCREASE IN THE POLICE BUDGET!!
I surprised no one has blamed this on Obama yet.
 @realoldguy its saul alinksy !      secret socialist davinci code kenyan   weather underground  agent!!!!!!!!!!!!    Quick to glenn beck!
@DickCheney2016 you my wanna give psychiatry a shot !
 @realoldguy Won't do no good. oblahblah will just turn around and blame it on bush, the tidal wave in Japan, etc, etc.
@realoldguy .......you mean Bush, don't you. He's responsible for everything
If there is still doing it -- Let's hold off on ANY sales of Portland's Bottled water....wait a day or two....
Why is this a breaking news story two days after the first test that indicated a possible problem. Those living in the infected area have been drinking contaminated water for the last two days. Restaurants have been serving contaminated water and ice for the last two days. In fact, unless you are online right now, you don't know there is a problem yet.
@SURFER DUDEÂ there is comstant testing in a system of that size. if they find in in the res, it doesent mean its in the distribution system , which is also tested.
 @SURFER DUDE Correction. I live in SW, and just received a phone message from the Portland Water Bureau notifying people of the problem. So the word is getting out to those affected.
@felines99 @SURFER DUDEÂ WERE SW???
Geez. E-coli is everywhere and anyone who has drank out of a creek has been exposed to it. I have been exposed to it for decades in the mountain streams where I hike.
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Usually it is those with weakened immune systems are susceptible to almost everything and should be concerned. For me and my wife, we will continue to drink the tap water.
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Plus most of my water comes from beer....8-}
that explains the bloody diarhea. and i was blaming the mexican restaurant i ate at last night
Short URL to the map:Â http://goo.gl/maps/vnP0
So with the huge increases in water rates, this is what the rate payers get? Randy Leonard.........it's your bureau. Your ultimate responsibility.
@Rob C I'm sure Randy will blame it on someone, other then stepping up and giving the taxpayers the reason WHY this happend. I'm counting down the days until Randy and Sammy boy hit the bricks.
And no sign of the promised address lookup on the city web site...
 @mine9 https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205269933657110683123.0004c55c9815b736a4787&msa=0&ll=45.545793,-122.733765&spn=0.39336,0.869293
 @brendan Thanks for the handy link. took them a little while to get it up :-)
@mine9 .......Portland........the City that works. Sometimes !
does this affect refrigerator water with a filter?
 @dstevens Does the refrigerator boil it after filtering it?
@dstevens .......yup !
Bet the bubblers haven't been turned off yet...
This is going to be a huge problem for all f the restaurants and bars in the city.