Willamette River is Cootie-Free and Beach-Ready

By FIONA NOONAN

Forget your fears of growing a third arm on contact with the Willamette River. According to Will Levenson, one of the organizers of The Big Float on July 29, the river is "scientifically 100 percent safe for people swimming in it."

create a swimming beach at Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park
backs Levenson up

He says the beach will take downtown Portland's livability "to the next level," and he hopes to create it by removing rocks that currently cover the sand during an "Unrock the Bowl" event on August 25. 

Levenson also wants the city to place buoys in the water and put up signs about the dangers of swimming near barges. "It's a public safety issue," he says.

For now, though, Levenson sees no reason why people shouldn't (cautiously) take a dip in the river: "Either you're a complete conspiracy theorist to think that the Bureau of Development Services and the DEQ are trying to get people to swim in polluted water, or it’s actually safe.”  

water quality web page

WWeek 2015

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