Massive reservoir is drained after teenager springs a leak

AN AMERICAN reservoir was drained of 38million gallons of water after a teenager was spotted urinating into it.

Bosses at the Mount Tabor Reservoir in Portland, Oregon, said they could not distribute ‘deliberately contaminated’ water to the city’s 600,000 population.

The decision is likely to cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.

The alert was sparked when CCTV cameras captured the teenager urinating, as two others tried to climb a fence. The three were arrested by police. Prosecutors are deciding whether to charge them with a crime.

The reservoir has been refilled several times in the past five years, with the most recent case in October after another man urinated into it.

Portland water chief David Shaff said there was a ‘perceived difference’ between animal waste, which often enters the system, and human waste. He added: ‘Our customers don’t anticipate drinking water that’s been contaminated by some yahoo who decided to pee into a reservoir.’

Mt Tabor is no stranger to controversy over the public’s ability to gain access and urinate into its fresh waters.

In June 2008, two people were caught skinny dipping and the entire reservoir was spared from being drained only because it was not in service at the time.