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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 7, 2005 Since You Asked: Foul public property, and you’re in trouble I was rafting with a friend on the Rogue River near Shady Cove recently. My friend was standing in the river, waiting for us to get to the ramp. A local sheriff’s deputy thought my friend was urinating in the water. (He wasn’t.) The deputy told my friend that he could face a $6,000 fine. Can you tell me if that’s true? Is it against the law to pee in the river? — K.K., Medford Your question raises a couple of issues, K.K. First, it is, indeed, a violation of Oregon Criminal Code 164.785 to place "offensive substances" in waters, on highways or other property. That includes excrement, human or otherwise. Under state law, it’s a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a $6,250 fine. Advertisement The law also allows the state Department of Environmental Quality to impose additional penalties, up to $10,000 a day, for fouling state waters. Such stiff consequences were put in place after nationwide efforts in the early 1970s to clean up America’s rivers, said Les Carlough, DEQ senior policy adviser. Keeping rivers free of human excrement, particularly in the form of large quantities of raw sewage, is a serious matter, he added. But, he added, the agency also reserves its resources for serious pollution breaches with potentially damaging public health consequences. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to Since You Asked: Foul public property, and you�re in trouble ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s