Cryptosporidium Detected In Latest Bull Run Water Test, City Officials Say

PORTLAND, OR — Water Bureau officials on Monday announced another detection of one Cryptosporidium oocyst in a 10-liter water sample taken Wednesday, Oct. 18, from the Bull Run water supply, the city of Portland's primary drinking water source.

A sample taken on Sept. 24 also tested positive for one Cryptosporidium oocyst, a parasite capable of causing serious illness, with symptoms that could include diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain.

The multiple detections of Cryptosporidium this year — in January, February, March, September, and now October — follow several years of clean tests that showed no signs of the disease-causing parasite in the city's water supply; and though Water Bureau officials do not believe the most recent single oocyst detection will require the general public to take additional precautions, they do encourage Bull Run water customers with weakened immune systems to consult their healthcare providers regarding the safety of drinking tap water.

City water customers can contact their drinking water provider to see if their water comes from Bull Run, though officials said none of the detections so far have corresponded with any increases in Cryptosporidium-related illnesses.

Sample results are posted to the city's Water Bureau website here. Customers can also call the Water Bureau with questions about water quality at 503-823-7525.

Related Coverage On Patch:

• Portland Water: Parasite Detected In Bull Run Reservoir (Feb. 7)
• Parasites Force Portland To Switch Water Supply (Feb. 13)
• Portland Water Once Again Coming From Bull Run Reservoir (March 14)
• Cryptosporidium: One Out of Five Bull Run Water Samples Test Positive, Portland Water Bureau Says (March 22)
• Bull Run Watershed Tests Positive For Cryptosporidium: Multnomah County (Sept. 27)

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