KBND, 3/12/2012

Oregon Congressman Greg Walden says he’s working with City leaders and others to try and make sure that water regulators are not over-reacting over Bend’s drinking water. The State is requiring that Bend treat its drinking water because “crypto-sporidium was found in the supply, and that mandate could cost the city tens of millions of dollars.

Walden was in Bend on Friday to speak at the annual EDCO luncheon, and he also made a special stop to our 1110 KBND studios.

KBND: “There’s a background history of very serious outbreak in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; so when people hear “crypto-sporidium” they get very nervous.”

Walden: “Yeah and I think that gets to the larger discussion about rules and regulations. Here in Bend, people are drinking the water everyday, and you don’t see massive [problems]; so then, I think you really have to balance that against cost versus problem, what’s the cost benefit analysis here? How likely is it that there actually is crypto-sporidium in the stream drinking water? And, if there is, how likely is it that it actually gets to a point that somebody gets ill over it, versus what are those costs going to be to everyone trying to make ends meet right now?”

We’ll have more of our in-depth interview with Congressman Greg Walden Tuesday on KBND’s Take Five at 7:55a.m.