Hard to believe, but someone out there is trying to get into people's homes by pretending to be a city water inspector.



An apartment complex manager called the Water Bureau to report that a woman had called up claiming to be a Water Bureau employee and insisted on making an appointment to check the tap water for chlorine and E. coli.



The city lifted a boil order Sunday following evidence of an E. coli contamination in West Portland last week.



"She just wouldn't take no for an answer," said the complex manager, Mickie Thorne, in a release issued by the bureau. "I was concerned about reporting it but now know that I did the right thing in calling the Water Bureau."



The Water Bureau never goes into homes to check water unless a customer requests such an inspection. Inspectors check sample stations outside homes and never solicit phone calls.



"At best, I'd say this is absolutely despicable," Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff said. "I'm disgusted that someone would try to exploit public fear over water contamination. It is totally disheartening."



Customers who are concerned about their water quality are encouraged to call the bureau's Water Quality phone line at 503-823-7525.





