Why can't Wyden help us out here? Oh, that's right, he's now effectively New York's third senator.

What is Blumenauer doing? What is Merkle doing? What is Schrader doing? All serve in districts that wholly or partial use Bull Run water. Wu is gone so we don't have his representation and Kitzhaber isn't helping to fill that seat which is crucial even for this issue. We know what Wyden is doing, he's in NY.

"which is sheepishly blowing hundreds of millions"

I wouldn't say that at all - Its rather vulpine. Randy will piss away as much money as possible since he can use it as an excuse to raise water rates.

I mean we've done nothing of substance and they've raised rates 50% in 3 years. I think this means they've gone from $80M/yr to $120M/yr in revenues. An increase of $40M for doing paperwork.

It's easy to understand Portland city hall's hiding behind the EPA edicts. Union Commissar Leonard, for instance, is pro construction no matter what the merits or dismerits in this case. He has led the water bureau for the past several years, and was very quick to jump on the feds' call for new reservoirs. We are already committed to spending hundreds of millions on new Powell Butte Reservoirs. He'll be basking in the easy life of civil service retirement in another year and a half, after causing a decade long accumulation of heavy indebtness. The unions and government employees got theirs, and the rest of us get to bleed trying to repay his and their tabs.

Apparently if you question our delegation in Washington they put it back to the city and say they have to be asked to help out, Leonard claims he has asked and been told no way to obtain a waiver.....might get fined by EPA, but EPA lets the state decide the fine, EPA has even said they would let the state decide on parts of this issue. Once again for all of us to pay, follow the money and the contracts and you will see that the Portland Water Bureau is the bank of Portland for whatever our entire council wants to use it for. They will get the PWB so far in debt they won't be able to keep it a float then sell our water rights to companies in the wings to take it over.....get ready for corporate water!

Please go here for a local group trying to get the City and our Federal Reps to do the right thing:

www.citizensforportlandswater.org

There are links to both Senator Schumer's position statements, but also Mayor Bloomberg.

We can still get this thing stopped and preserve our water quality and get our finances under control.

Yes, we can.
That is if our elected officials will decide to now stand up for our Bull Run Water System which includes the Reservoirs.

Unfortunately, they haven't. We need to ask why there has been this reluctance to do so and then the army of silence from other officials such as our state reps.

What are we to think of OUR officials? NY Senator Schumer came out with his press release July 20th, it is now August 10th and still silence from our wimps?

dcan57:Apparently if you question our delegation in Washington they put it back to the city and say they have to be asked to help out, Leonard claims he has asked and been told no way to obtain a waiver...

I call it the run around game or the go along game to sell out our water and water rights. If they don’t think that creating debt after debt won’t put our water rights in jeopardy, then they certainly are not any way responsible people to be making these important decisions for our community or good stewards of our sustainable water system.

So apparently, this game plan works:
Oh, it is EPA’s doing, Oh can’t do much if the city is unwilling, Oh now the matter is at the state level, Oh this or that. The feds? now the state? no the city. Eventually the “souped up mix” is just confusing so that in the end, no one will really be responsible. This run around game works well for blaming others.

What I find disgusting is that these elected officials apparently are more interested in their political career than in the financial or physical health and well being of the community they are supposed to represent.

So can we get our New York senator to petition on our behalf too?

So can we get Nick Fish to ask for a Waiver for our city?
He comes from a well-known NY political family.
We could use some of that NY savvy.

Treating for a “problem that does not exist” (Commissioner Nick Fish – 2009)
He knows the problem does not exist and yet votes to go along with Leonard
and the LT2 projects, huge expenses and debt.

He needs to be a leader such as NY Senator Schumer questioning and advocating for his constituents that EPA abandon this rule as it is not necessary and costs are too high for his NY community.