PORTLAND -- Water Bureau officials were still trying to determine what caused a Portland drinking water reservoir to become contaminated with E. Coli. The contamination was found during routine water testing of Reservoir 3 on Thanksgiving Day. After confirming tests, a boil water notice was issued for Portland Water Bureau customers west of the Willamette River.
The "Boil Water Notice" was lifted about 4:30 p.m. Sunday by the Portland Water Bureau. Affected residents were those west of the Willamette River, including the Valley View, Burlington and Palatine Hill Water Districts. Further testing showed no more signs of E. coli contamination, bureau officials said. However, residents were cautioned to allow water to run about two minutes from cold taps. For hot water taps, they recommended opening the until the water ran cold.
Read the entire Boil Water Notice here.
No illnesses had been reported, according to Multnomah County Health Officer Gary Oxman, but he added that diagnoses "will play out over a period of several days."
The contamination could have come from human or animal waste, Oxman speculated.
Boil water advisory impacts customers
Restaurants faced their own unique challenges, lacking the instant use of tap water, over the holiday weekend.
"It really upset the whole rhythm," said Ian Boyd, co-owner of the Leaky Roof Restaurant in SW Portland. "Everything kind of grinds to a halt."
But the Leaky Roof forged ahead, making food with boiled-then-cooled water while serving brunch to customers Sunday.
Heidi MacLennan, a Leaky Roof customer and self-proclaimed cynic, wondered whether the contamination had anything to do with an ongoing political debate over covering the city's open-air reservoirs.
"Since it has never happened before I'm wondering why it's happening all of a sudden," she said.
Cause of contamination unknown
The Washington Park reservoir was drained at a rate of about 1,400 gallons per minute. City officials intentionally slowed depleting the reservoir to avoid overflowing the sewer system, which drains into the Willamette River.
"It will take three or four days," said David Shaff, the administrator of the Water Bureau. "And when that is empty, then we'll go down to the reservoir, go down to the sample lines and the outlet lines and see ... if we have an 'ah-ha!' moment."
The Sherwoods, a family living near the reservoir, took necessary precautions over the weekend, but Diane Sherwood still accidentally used tap water while brushing her teeth.
"I didn't swallow anything but it gave me pause," she said, adding, "It wasn't good. Wish I hadn't done that."
The E. coli scare emptied bottled water shelves at the Zupan's grocery store on W. Burnside St. Managers said shelves would not be fully restocked for a few days.
Fate of reservoirs debated
As previously planned, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expects the City of Portland's Water Bureau to stop using open-air reservoirs -- including Washington Park's and SE Portland's Mt. Tabor reservoir -- by the year 2015.
Despite the weekend's E. coli scare, city officials insist both of the reservoirs remained safe for drinking water.
The federal mandate to cover both reservoirs has been a subject of debate, and Water Commissioner Randy Leonard has even proposed arming reservoir security guards with weapons. The contamination was expected to renew the debate.
The Water Bureau on Friday released a map of the area affected by the E. Coli outbreak. The Water Bureau can be contacted at (503) 823-7770. Click here to visit the Water Bureau web site.
Officials recommended that any stored water or ice should be tossed.
