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Drivers advised to use detour maps below as construction begins
Work to build the Bull Run filtration facility is entering a new phase that will require local road closures between August 26, 2024 and September 4, 2024. As part of our commitment to the community, our crews will be repaving roads that are currently in poor condition prior to using the roads for construction purposes.
Construction work requires full road closures for pavement improvements on local roads in the project area that will be used by construction traffic. These include:
- Lusted Road - Cottrell Road to east of Altman Road intersection (Lusted Road Detour Map)
• 8/26-27 full closure 7a-7p - Altman Road - Dodge Park Boulevard to county line (South Altman Road Detour Map)
• 8/26 full closure 7a-7p
• 8/27-29; full closure all day and night
• 8/30 full closure 7a-7p - Hosner Road - Oxbow Drive to Lusted Road (Hosner Road Detour Map)
• 8/28-29 full closure 7a-7p - Altman Road - Lusted Road to Dodge Park Boulevard (North Altman Road Detour Map)
• 8/28 closed* 7a-7p
• 8/29-31 closed* until 8/31 5p
• 8/31 5p -9/4 7a unpaved (sand) road open; 15 mph speed limit
• 9/4 closed* for paving 7a-7p
After construction, roads used as primary or detour through truck haul routes will be returned to as good or better condition.
About the Bull Run Filtration Project
The Portland Water Bureau is building a filtration facility to keep our drinking water safe and abundant for generations to come. Filtration will remove the microorganism Cryptosporidium from the Bull Run supply and must be completed by September 2027 to comply with state and federal water quality regulations.
The improvements we're building will use filtration treatment to protect public health and remove sediment, organic material, and other potential contaminants from Bull Run water, providing consistent high-quality drinking water and making our water system more reliable.
Among the nearly one million people that drink our water, the Water Bureau has more than 4,500 direct customers within a 5-mile radius of the filtration site. When the filtration facility is online in 2027, at least another 7,000 people in the area will benefit from the filtered Bull Run water served by 8 of our wholesale customers near the site.
The Water Bureau has owned property and easements in this area for over a century, with the oldest easement dating back to the 1890s.
About the Portland Water Bureau
The Portland Water Bureau serves water to almost a million people in the Portland area. Portland’s water system includes two great water sources, 54 tanks and reservoirs, and 2,250 miles of pipes. With 600 employees working on everything from water treatment to customer service, the Water Bureau is committed to serving excellent water every minute of every day.
Drippy the Water Drop shows young Portlanders the value of the original ‘espresso’ in a Sabrina Carpenter parody music video
Just in time for back to school, Portland water is here to give kids a healthy boost without the caffeine crash. Watch Drippy the Water Drop provide some encouragement to get that fresh, hydrated glow in the summer’s hottest music video: the Portland Water Bureau’s parody of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”
With so many other beverage options available throughout the day, parents know that staying hydrated by drinking water is key to a healthy lifestyle. Kids may not get why water is a healthier option, just like parents might not “get” their kids’ music.
Help your kid drink more delicious Portland water and less sugary drinks by sharing some of these hydration tips to help make water part of your child’s daily routine, developed in partnership with Multnomah County’s REACH program:
Drippy is available for interviews today to discuss the making of the video and ways to stay hydrated.
- Start small. It can seem like hard work to stay hydrated. If you’re struggling to drink enough H₂O, try to drink a cup when you wake up, then another whenever you eat a meal or snack. By the end of the day, you’ll be on track to have enough water for your body to thrive.
- Need a boost? Water gives you energy without the crash or calories. Before you reach for that energy drink or coffee, drink a glass of water and give your body (and mind) what it needs.
- Drink local. Portland’s primary water source is the beautiful Bull Run Watershed, high up in the hills around Mount Hood. Straight from the forest to your tap, some of the best drinking water on Earth can be found right here at home. It’s better, cheaper, and easier than bottled water, and it’s just one more thing that makes our region so special. When it comes to your water, there’s no place like home.
- Hit the tap. We all want to do right by Mother Earth, so let’s start by reducing waste. Every single-use water bottle ends up in a landfill or the ocean. Do your part by keeping a good reusable bottle by your side.
- Make it your own. There are a lot of ways to make your water just how you like it. Squeeze a lemon into it. Infuse it with cucumber. Add a sprinkle of salt. Making water even better is simple and delicious, and it can help your body retain valuable electrolytes.
About the Portland Water Bureau
The Portland Water Bureau serves water to almost a million people in the Portland area. Portland’s water system includes two great water sources, 54 tanks and reservoirs, and 2,250 miles of pipe. With 600 employees working on everything from water treatment to customer service, the Water Bureau is committed to serving excellent water every minute of every day.
Annual maintenance operation for our secondary groundwater source is complete
The Portland Water Bureau returns to providing 100 percent Bull Run water to Portlanders today. It can take up to two weeks to receive 100 percent Bull Run water, depending on your location.
On August 1, 2024, we activated our secondary water source, the Columbia South Shore Well Field, to perform the annual maintenance operation of the groundwater system.
The annual maintenance operation is an opportunity to identify maintenance needs and ensure that groundwater equipment is operational. It ensures the reliability of the system when needed, either in an emergency or as part of seasonal supply augmentation.
“Careful planning ensures we can continue to provide our community with the safe, clean drinking water it relies on,” Portland Water Bureau Acting Director Edward Campbell said. “The annual groundwater maintenance run is just one piece of that work.”
We will continue to monitor supply conditions and will notify you if groundwater is needed later in the season to supplement the Bull Run supply.
Water system investments matter
Our ability to reliably provide clean, safe water for future generations depends on ongoing investments in our water system.
Ratepayer funding makes it possible for the bureau to tap two sources of clean, reliable drinking water to adapt to a changing environment. The Columbia South Shore Well Field is a valuable resource when our ability to provide drinking water from the Bull Run source is affected by an emergency—such as a fire or extreme storm in the watershed—or by seasonal limitations such as low stream flows or extended dry spells.
Thankful for the water experts who make it happen
Supplying drinking water to nearly one million Oregonians requires a dedicated, highly skilled workforce. The Portland Water Bureau employs about 600 people.
“When you turn on the tap and the water is safe and abundant, it’s easy to overlook the complex work that makes it happen,” said Kimberly Gupta, Director of Operations. “Certified operators, engineers, construction crews, customer service staff, scientists, lab techs—the list of specific expertise is long. These public servants work hard every day to continually protect our health and safety.”
About the Portland Water Bureau
The Portland Water Bureau serves water to almost a million people in the Portland area. Portland’s water system includes two great water sources, 54 tanks and reservoirs, and 2,250 miles of pipe. With 600 employees working on everything from water treatment to customer service, the Water Bureau is committed to serving excellent water every minute of every day.
Maintenance Director Ty Kovatch available for interviews today
As the books close on fiscal year 2023-24, we can share that the final tally of Water Bureau service installations shows a record-breaking pace of effort!
We are making each bill payer’s investment stretch to pay for 30,000 feet of new water mains, a record number of new customer installations, efficient fire hydrant replacement, and more.
The bureau’s Director of Maintenance & Construction Ty Kovatch is available today to discuss the record-breaking efficiency with which our crews worked to bring homes and apartments into water service this year.
WHAT: 20-minute interview slots are available with M&C Director Ty Kovatch
WHEN: Today, August 13th from 12pm to 1pm
WHERE: Remote or in-person at our Interstate campus, 664 N. Tillamook, Portland OR
Maintenance and construction crews put your bill payments to work by installing
- Mains. For the fourth consecutive year we have achieved our target of installing 30,000 feet of new water mains—that’s enough pipe to summit Denali one and a half times!
- Services. A new record for overall service installations and renewal, largely driven by the change in land use that allows higher density development on residential lots.
- Hydrants. After an off year last year due to supply chain issues in the first quarter, our crews re-established our pace and then some. The estimated useful life of a fire hydrant is ~80 years, which would require the sustained renewal rate of approximately 180 hydrants/year, and we have targeted approximately 250 hydrant install/replacements each year to account for the many years prior to 2012 when this pace was not in place. We closed the year with only 19 hydrants out of service in the system, which is 00.13% of all hydrants in the system, which is very low across our industry.
Please see the pictures and videos of our crews in action below for use in an article:
- Portland Water Olympics: main break simulation video
- Crews at work digital assets: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gD0QkAsl31tzR3BUhBRTz2rXoQnN3GLf?usp=sharing
About the Portland Water Bureau
The Portland Water Bureau serves water to almost a million people in the Portland area. Portland’s water system includes two great water sources, 54 tanks and reservoirs, and 2,250 miles of pipes. With 600 employees working on everything from water treatment to customer service, the Water Bureau is committed to serving excellent water every minute of every day.