CBS News/ June 17, 2011, 11:11 AM

Man caught on tape peeing in reservoir

A man who admits urinating in a Portland, Ore. Reservoir says he's sorry he did it, but wonders what all the fuss is about.

Josh Seater was caught on Portland Water Bureau surveillance video relieving himself in the reservoir early Wednesday morning.

The video shows Seater and his friends throwing things in the water -- and then, Seater says, it just happened.

He barely had time to zip up his pants before security guards got there.

Seater hasn't been charged with a crime, but he could be, and he insists he just doesn't

get why.

Seater says he's sure he isn't the first one to pee in there.

He added he didn't realize t was the water supply, claiming he thought it was a sewage plant.

The incident is going to be an expensive flush for the city of Portland. It'll cost about $36,000 -- $7,500 to drain the reservoir, plus $28,000 worth of drinking water down the drain - some 8 million gallons of it.

The Portland Water Bureau says does have a plan to cover reservoirs to comply with federal regulations, although it is trying to get a waiver so it doesn't have to spend the millions it will take to do that.

28 Comments Add a Comment

: linkicon reporticon emailicon
Okiefolks says:: Charge him 36000 for being a *******; reply

: linkicon reporticon emailicon
cckit54 says:: Seriously?! Why are people in a furor over this? It's an UNCOVERED resevoir. Birds are flying over it dropping who knows what and small animals are probably scurrying all around it--sorry but yeah that's happening all the time people.; reply

: linkicon reporticon emailicon
silvereagle2718 says:: I'm concerned that their water treatment process is this sensitive. I would be more understanding about concern due to 1000 barrels of oil or a spill from the Hanford nuclear site.

Didn't major cities once dump raw sewage upstream of other major cities? The Mississippi is a very big river system and New Orleans is very close to its mouth.; reply

linkicon reporticon emailicon

MaxK341 says:

Urine is sterile as it comes out of your body. It is not poisonous and has no adverse effects if you drink it straight. Some people drink urine from their body as medicine. Diluted in a couple million gallons of water it would be undetectable and certainly is no health hazard.


skyowner replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; second that.

linkicon reporticon emailicon

jt92202 says:

The artical I read yesterday from the Seattle Times noted that the reason they were draining the reservoir was due to the YUK FACTOR!! I said REALLY!!! They find dead birds, squirrels, frisbees, balls, and many other things in this reservoir but never drain it because of that! It's out in the woods/wilderness where most reservoir are, you can't tell me that animals haven't peed close to it or in it before!! When the water moves from the reservoir it goes through filtering and get purified before the water gets to your sink!! 8.5 MILLION GALLONS are being dumped for 6 to 8oz of pee, throw 2 gallons of bleach into the reservoir and call it good!! JEEZ how stupid are our officials!!!


1stlttightwad replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; Good lord. I am quite sure there are ducks and geese swimming about. Ever seen goose scat. While were at it let's not forget, frog pee,crawfish pee, turtle pee and oh my gosh fish pee. Oops, I forgot, most of the people in Seattle are from California. That figures.

: linkicon reporticon emailicon
Vt6360 says:: This is news. One of the pleasures of being a man is being able to pee outside.; reply

linkicon reporticon emailicon

ddog88 says:

Good thing he didn't pee in the Pacific Ocean, that would of been a steep fine to drain it. Must have been a dirty kid to pollute an outdoor facility. Was he radioactive?


displeased2 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; How do you relate the Pacific to a reservoir of drinking water?


ralphing replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; Water in a reservoir has to go through a water treatment plant before you can drink it. That gets rid of the bugs, sticks, bacteria, and even pee that's in it. No one drinks that water as it sits.

Reminds me of the show, Petticoat Junction, wher the opening credits show the three girls swimming or taking a bath in the towns water tower. Did they actually drink that water?

See all 5 Replies

: linkicon reporticon emailicon
Jhihmoac says:: "Please don't pee in our resevior...We don't drink from your toilet..."; reply

linkicon reporticon emailicon

Rodeo_Joe says:

Pay up, kid. Dumb as a box of rocks, as are his friends.


delta253 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; No crime, no fine. Ignore the whole story. The only news is the stupid bureaucrat -- let them try to write a fish a ticket for peeing in the pool.

linkicon reporticon emailicon

erasmus111 says:

Ahhhh, get over it. What the heck do you think is in your pickles? A friend of mine worked next to a pickle factory (which I won't name, but it is a major brand), and she would see the guys peeing in the vats. Guys like to pee on everything, don't they?? Who knows what else we eat or drink has pee in it?


displeased2 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; The world is our urinal...

Thanks for the pickle story. From my experiences in restaurants and manufacturing plants, their "peeing" behavior doesn't surprise me.