The city of Portland in the US has just drained the entire contents of one of its largest open reservoirs. That’s over 38 million gallons (or 143 million litres) of treated water that’s being taken from the reservoir and flushed directly into the city’s sewage system. And it’s not the first time – in 2011 the city dumped 7.5 million gallons of treated water from another open water storage facility. And why?

Because somebody peed in it.

That’s right – the power of one 19 year-old man’s urine is forcing the city of Portland to flush out 38 million gallons of water from its reservoir. The man and his two mates were filmed trying to scale the reservoir’s metal fence, before the young man urinated through the enclosure into the water. The teenager has been cited for public urination.

Even though officials say that the urine can’t pose any health risks, the people of Portland just don’t want to ingest water that they regard as tainted. And that’s fair enough. Even though animals must pee in the open reservoirs on a regular basis, there is a perceived difference amongst the Portland community – the city only tested the reservoir’s water for quality after they announced they planned to dump the water

“Our customers don’t anticipate drinking water that’s been contaminated by some yahoo who decided to pee into a reservoir,” Portland City Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff said in a statement to Fox News.

Draining the reservoir won’t pose a problem for the city as they still have plenty of clean water and the 38 million gallons will reportedly be easy to replace from the city’s Bull Run supply – but if the city was in one of the drier parts of the US, they might not have that option. In many places, a supply of clean water is of paramount importance, especially if that supply is limited.

While it’s hard to imagine a water tank that could hold 143 million litres of water, Portland’s city officials must be wishing that they had a safer way to store their city’s water and keep it free of contamination.

A SUPATANK Rain Water Tank can hold up to 11,000 litres of water – not enough for an entire city perhaps, but more than enough for your home and property. Constructed from food-grade, UV tolerant PVC plastic, a Rounded Water Tank can take on all weather conditions and remain corrosion free.

While you’re probably not too concerned about teenagers peeing in your water supply, you can ensure that your family always has a clean water supply with a good quality, properly installed water tank.