Parish
Austin Purchases Beaver Urine
RECEIVED Wed., Oct. 3, 2007
Dear Editor,
I was stunned after learning from city Parks employees about the use of beaver urine in all park restrooms.
At first when I heard, I said no way. Well, I went to a local park to checkout the restroom, only to turn around and leave because of the odor.
I wonder if the mayor uses beaver urine as a fragrance in his City Hall office?
Turns out, the beaver urine is used by the National Park Service to control algae growth and to combat foul-smelling odor. It can also be used in fountains to control algae.
So the next time you're at City Hall, kneel down by the Plaza Fountain, and get a good whiff of the beaver urine your tax dollars paid for.
I was stunned after learning from city Parks employees about the use of beaver urine in all park restrooms.
At first when I heard, I said no way. Well, I went to a local park to checkout the restroom, only to turn around and leave because of the odor.
I wonder if the mayor uses beaver urine as a fragrance in his City Hall office?
Turns out, the beaver urine is used by the National Park Service to control algae growth and to combat foul-smelling odor. It can also be used in fountains to control algae.
So the next time you're at City Hall, kneel down by the Plaza Fountain, and get a good whiff of the beaver urine your tax dollars paid for.
Pat Johnson
[Editor's note: We don't know who Pat Johnson might have been talking to, but it seems likely somebody is pulling his leg. We asked Victor Ovalle of the Parks Department about "beaver urine," and when he called back, he said, "Thanks – now I'm the laughingstock of the whole department." He said park maintenance employees use only standard commercial cleaners on the restrooms, and perhaps Johnson just visited one on a bad day. His colleagues did enjoy speculating on various methods for collecting beaver urine, but Ovalle said, "As far we know, there are no beaver farms up north."]
