What should be the jewel of Portland is instead, it’s cesspool. Lobby elected officials to have the courage to hold the polluters accountable for the costs of clean up. Personally, I would love to see those greed heads intentionally dumping waste criminally prosecuted. End of story.

Cleaning up the Willamette River would be easier if the City folks didn't demand "Good Housekeeping Picture Perfect" fruits and vegetables.

Perhaps packaging them in non-recyclable dark plastic bags would solve the visual issue?

Nothing else it would better preserve the Dirty Hand component that is helpful in building consumers resistance.

Jack, as a Beaverton resident, I'm already drinking some Willamette water. But check out the state-of-the-art water treatment facility in Wilsonville; it's damn impressive:

http://www.ci.wilsonville.or.us/departments/pw/water/WRWTP.htm#process

And from the site:

"Finished Water Quality
The treated water is far better than required by drinking water standards. In fact, ALL of the organic chemicals were below the laboratory detection limit - - with the exception of trace amounts of byproducts from the disinfection process, which one would expect to see in properly disinfected water. (Note: The Bull Run water supply has higher levels of these byproducts than the Willamette water supply.)"

I don't have a problem with drinking Willamette water.

ABE-
Huh?
The 'City Folks' you refer to aren't the ones who seek out 'Good Housekeeping Picture Perfect' fruit grown with pesticides/herbicides... do I really need to explain who that market is??

TK, Those of the plastic world, whose feet seldom if ever leave a man-made surface.

Abe-
Been to a campground recently? Those folks in tents with backpacks? Probably city folk. Those folks in RVs with a trailer packed with ATVs and jet-skis? Likely NOT city folk.

Put...the Kool-aid....down.....

The Willamette will forever take a back seat to other issues in Portland.

I love the snotty attitude by some toward those of us who live in the suburbs. Many of us live in the burbs because we can't afford a decent home for our families in the city. I know it's fashionable to believe that those of you who live in the Pearl are oh so much more sophisticated than the poor slobs im Gresham but trust me, you need to get over yourselves.

Jack - but isn't it interesting that the 'burbs' on the westside manage to produce water just as good out of the coast range that costs a lot less? Can you blame the Tualatin Valley Water District for making Portland compete? Portland's argument seems to be that their customers should just pay it and shut up - even though other local governments manage to produce water that's as good for less money.

I live by the Willamette and used to fish in it even though I was never good at it. There are a lot of small mouth bass in the area. Many of them have been showing up with some kind of deformity. Not only is the industrial pollution bad. With the increase in small boat activities on the river, it has become one big public bathroom. Whenever you see a person squats down on the swim platform of a boat, or jump in for a quick dip, you can bet that person is relieving himself/herself right into the river. Every time after we go on the river, we wash all our clothes and shower. Regardless of how good a treatment plant is, I can’t imagine drinking it with the images of all the deformed fishes and all the smiley faces of people dripping on the swim platforms in my head.

I love the snotty attitude by some toward those of us who live in the suburbs.

Sorry about that. My barb was intended to be directed at your elected officials, not at you ordinary residents. Poor choice of words on my part.

Please. If you're living in the 'burbs, you better be honest with yourself about what's good and bad about it. Don't get so friggin' defensive, as if you were mayor of McMansionville.

Smart and ignorant people inhabit cities and suburbs alike. If people could just admit what works and doesn't work with their locale, we could get past the territorial pissing match and work on our collective problems.