The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, in the same group of viruses which caused the SARS epidemic in 2002-4 and the MERS outbreaks in 2015-18.

Cryptosporidium was found at low levels in Portland city water several years ago. As a result, the Portland Water Bureau now tests for cryptosporidium almost daily, and has begun a project to treat our city water to remove Cryptosporidium, but the project won’t be completed until 2027.

At least 30 million metric tons of CO2 is produced each year by burning biomass to boil water.

Disinfection with ultraviolet light is more than 1500 times more energy efficient than boiling water.

The world recently passed a unique threshold. In all of humankind’s history, the majority of people lived in rural settings. That is, until 2016 when the urban population surpassed the rural population.