PORTLAND -- Water Bureau officials have determined that the source of an odor in East Portland drinking water came from naphthalene, the primary ingredient in mothballs.
The level of the chemical, 1.6 parts per billion, was not harmful, said bureau spokesman Tim Hall. But it created a strong smell.
Tests were done on samples taken overnight Tuesday and again on Wednesday after neighbors complained of the smell. The complaints came from an area bounded by 117th to 127th and Glisan to Holladay.
The strongest concentration was in the NE 124th and Glisan area, he said.
How the naphthalene got into the water system remains under investigation, he said. The city's water systems have strict backflow controls to prevent contamination.
We've got to find out who and where, he said of the contamination, and it may come down to door-to-door queries of homes and businesses.
