I Guess Many Of Us Take Clean Tap Water For Granted,

certainly in the UK it is safe to drink from the tap,

but I would be a bit concerned if a body of water is open to the elements and then goes untreated directly to family homes, after all ducks, geese and I guess swans can all land in it and defecate in or around the reservoir, not to mention any rats or other local mammals that just might wander in and die in it, 

but that is what happens to water in Portland, Oregon, water from open lakes goes directly to the tap in your homes, as David Shaff, Portland Water Bureau administrator said, "That water goes directly into people's homes, there is no way to re-treat it." 

all of this came to light when just after 1 a.m. Wednesday, April 16, 2014, Portland Water Bureau security staff observed on camera three men at Mt. Tabor Reservoir Number 5 in Southeast Portland, a 19-year old man was filmed urinating through the iron fence into the reservoir, minutes later, two other men, ages 18 and 19, attempted to scale the fence, with one successfully entering the reservoir, so as the water in the lake goes directly to the tap in your kitchen and bathroom, well there was only one thing to do, throw away the water, all 38-million gallons of it, the process will take between 4 to 6 days,

now I am sure drinking, showering and washing my toothbrush under the tap using water from an open reservoir is safe, as it would be to wash vegetables and salads in it, but I still wonder whether that water could be contaminated by a dead animal or two.