San Francisco water manager caught urinating in reservoir
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San Francisco-area residents were less than relieved Monday after hearing that a city water manager had been caught urinating into an empty reservoir that supplies drinking water for the Bay Area.
Martin Sanchez, a $111,000-a-year maintenance planner for the Public Utilities Commission, faces suspension without pay for five days following the Jan. 6 incident at the Priest Reservoir in the Sierra foothills near Sonora, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Utilities commission spokesman Tyrone Jue told the paper that the 674 million-gallon reservoir had been completely drained for maintenance when Sanchez committed the deed.
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Officials say public health wasn't in danger.
An anonymous complaint to water officials that was received by the Chronicle said that a number of employees had seen Sanchez urinate "several times" in the reservoir.
He was in line for a promotion before the incident, The Associated Press reported.
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San Francisco's water comes mostly from Sierra Nevada runoff.
Last year, a 19-year-old Portland, Ore., boy was cited for public urination and trespassing after he was accused of urinating in a 35-million-gallon city reservoir.
After learning of the incident, Portland officials began dumping water into the sewer system, but the process was slowed by heavy rains. As a result, they diverted the water to an empty reservoir and used the supply for nondrinking purposes.
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It was the second time in less than three years Portland has emptied a reservoir due to concerns that someone had urinated in the water.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.