ORIGINAL POST, 3 pm Tuesday, Jan. 14: The ballot-initiative campaign to remove control of Portland's water and sewer bureaus from City Hall will turn in 50,000 signatures to city elections officials Friday.



"It'll make the ballot," says Kent Craford, co-petitioner on the initiative to create an independently elected Portland Public Water District. "Portland ratepayers will see a spotlight on the management of water and sewer utilities like none they've ever seen."



The campaign needs nearly 30,000 validated signatures to place the initiative on the May ballot. The Portland Tribune first reported this morning that the campaign is ready to submit its collected signatures.



Those John Hancocks were not collected without some controversy: State elections officials warned signature gatherers in October to stop claiming the initiative would stop the city from selling its water supply to Nestle Corp.



The initiative campaign has also drawn scrutiny for its financial backing. Most of its funding comes from two companies with big water bills, Portland Bottling and Siltronic.

