Pooper Snoopers

Researchers at Oregon State University have helped develop an automated method of sampling municipal sewers for drugs.

According to an Aug. 21 OSU press release, “The method could provide a drug surveillance tool to help public health and law enforcement officials identify patterns of drug abuse across municipalities of all sizes.”

Will having Big Brother in the bathroom give people the willies?

The technique is controversial. The OSU researchers refused to say which
municipal sewers they’d tested for fear the treatment plants would deny
the researchers future access, according to a USA Today story. That’s what happened when elected officials in San Diego learned that White House drug researchers wanted to test their sewage plant, according to a Science magazine story.

The monitoring raises a buch of questions:

Did the OSU researchers check Eugene’s pipes and if so how do we compare?

Maybe monitoring the half-time flush tidal wave will finally show just how much beer Duck fans consume?

Could the same techniques be used to check an individual house’s outflow?

Will the Supreme Court have to rule on the legality of warrantless crapper tappers?

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!