I wish all of Portland’s city bureaus were as eager to disseminate information as the Water Bureau is. Last week, we got the news about a missing plaque. Today, news of skinny dipping in the Mt. Tabor Reservoir!

Portland Water Bureau finds skinny dippers in Mt. Tabor reservoir

PORTLAND, Ore–Portland Water Bureau discovered two people skinny dipping in Mt. Tabor Reservoir 6 early Saturday morning. Water Bureau security personnel spotted the swimmers, who were skinny dipping, and notified the Portland Police Bureau, who apprehended and removed the individuals from the reservoir at approximately 3:00 am and issued trespass citations.

Apprehended were Ryan Langsdorf, age 28 and Ashley Moyer, age 23.

Reservoir 6 is divided into two sections. The section that the swimmers were caught in is currently off-line. Had it been in use at the time, the Water Bureau would have been forced to shut off the reservoir and consider dumping millions of gallons of water, as was done earlier this spring when someone dumped a gallon of latex paint, a construction cone, and hundreds of flyers into the reservoir.

“Not only did this foolish act threaten the cleanliness of Portland’s drinking water, it was just plain dangerous,” said Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff. “These two individuals could have easily found themselves in a precarious situation where extremely cold water temperatures and a difficult rescue situation could have made drowning a real possibility.”

The Water Bureau will work with authorities to pursue this case to the fullest extent of the law.

I wonder if they let the dippers get dressed before apprehending them?

20 replies on “Naked People in the Mt. Tabor Reservoir”

  4. I’m really surprised that more people don’t do illicit swimming in the resovoir. They should put up signs saying what happens when you go in the water. Or get sharks. Sharks would be cool.

  7. Is the water really not filtered later? How dumb is that? What happens when a bird poops in the reservoir? They empty it out? Sounds like an engineering marvel to me!

  8. Is the water really not filtered later? How dumb is that? What happens when a bird poops in the reservoir? They empty it out? Sounds like an engineering marvel to me!

  9. “These two individuals could have easily found themselves in a precarious situation where extremely cold water temperatures and a difficult rescue situation could have made drowning a real possibility.”

    Sure, scare the stupid kids away. Except swimming in the Sandy is more cold and more dangerous.

    Mmmm, forbidden swimming…..

  10. I think that this was a pathetic situation. I live in Florida and I am hearing about it. I believe that it was insanely innappropriate to have exploited these people in the news for doing something that I am sure that others do all the time; just never getting busted. I can not imagine the embarrassment felt by this pair. I don’t know…this was just plain wrong.

  11. “Nightswimming….deserves a quiet night.”

    Hey, what’s the problem with some girl soaking her goodies in the drinking water? Toss the guy out and let a few more girls soak in there. The water will taste better.

    Cazman Out!

  16. This is such a non-issue. Long story short is that it’s virtually impossible to “taint” the water in any significant manner, let alone swimming. It’s all hype. Influential City contractors and the EPA would love to see us, the rate payers, pay the half a billion burying reservoirs. Write the City commissioners and Sen. Wyden and Gordon. Friendsofreservoirs.org

  17. This is such a non-issue. Long story short is that it’s virtually impossible to “taint” the water in any significant manner, let alone swimming. It’s all hype. Influential City contractors and the EPA would love to see us, the rate payers, pay the half a billion burying reservoirs. Write the City commissioners and Sen. Wyden and Gordon. Friendsofreservoirs.org

  18. This is truly a moot point. If the water is “dangerously cold,” then it’s nearly impossible for the city water to have been exposed to any of Mr. Langsdorf’s steaming hot love sauce. The inevitable shrinkage would have sent his boner packing – as George Costanza says – “like a frightened turtle.” But the real issue is that these reservoirs should be covered. In this “post 9/11 world” of terrorists and other assorted boogeymen, the city is remiss to not address the issue of intentional harmful contamination. The cold may have prevented Mr. Langsdorf’s “weapon of mass destruction” from operating properly, but we may not be so lucky next time. But to Mr. Langsdorf’s credit, she was pretty hot.

  20. Totally ridiculous reaction. If I wouldn’t hesitate to lick Ashley all over her body (and I wouldn’t hesitate to do just that), why would I worry about a few cells or molecules of fluid that might have washed off of her and been diluted into millions of gallons of drinking water? What’s a little human skin compared to, say, a bird or a rat drowning in the resevoir, bird shit in the resevoir, pollution washed down in the rain into the resevoir, etc. etc.?

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