Since 2017, the Portland Water Bureau has detected low levels of Cryptosporidium from routine monitoring of source water. The Portland Water Bureau received results from ongoing monitoring from the Bull Run Watershed intake for Cryptosporidium, a potentially disease-causing microorganism. In the 50 liters sampled each day from December 8 to December 11, one Cryptosporidium oocyst was detected in the sample collected on December 8 and three Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in the sample collected on December 9. Cryptosporidium was not detected in the samples collected on December 10 or December 11. Prior to this detection, Cryptosporidium was last detected from the Bull Run Watershed intake on December 4, 2024.

The Bull Run Watershed is Portland’s primary source of drinking water. The Portland Water Bureau does not currently treat for Cryptosporidium, but is required to do so under drinking water regulations. Portland is working to install filtration by September 30, 2027 under a compliance schedule with the Oregon Health Authority. In the meantime, Portland Water Bureau is implementing interim measures such as watershed protection and additional monitoring to protect public health. Consultation with public health officials has concluded that at this time, customers do not need to take any additional precautions. 

Exposure to Cryptosporidium can cause cryptosporidiosis, a serious illness. Symptoms can include diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain. People with healthy immune systems recover without medical treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with severely weakened immune systems are at risk for more serious disease. Symptoms may be more severe and could lead to serious or life-threatening illness. Examples of people with weakened immune systems include those with AIDS, those with inherited diseases that affect the immune system, and cancer and transplant patients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs.

The Environmental Protection Agency advises that customers who are immunocompromised and receive their drinking water from the Bull Run Watershed consult with their healthcare professional about the safety of drinking the tap water. The Portland Water Bureau and Burlington, City of Gresham, City of Sandy, City of Tualatin, Green Valley, GNR, Hideaway Hills, Lake Grove, Lorna Domestic Water, Lusted, Palatine Hill, Pleasant Home, Raleigh, Rockwood, Skyview Acres, Tualatin Valley, Two Rivers, Valley View and West Slope Water Districts receive all or part of their drinking water supply from Bull Run. To learn if your drinking water comes from Bull Run, please contact your local drinking water provider.

The public and the media are encouraged to view all sampling results posted to the City’s website at portland.gov/water/cryptoresults. The bureau will notify the media and public immediately should further test results indicate a risk to public health and precautions are necessary.

Customers with questions regarding water quality can call the Water Quality Line at 503-823-7525.

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, 53 tanks and reservoirs, and 2,200 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.

Photo of Com Mapps speaking

Portland, Ore.– Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $319 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the City of Portland, serving Oregon’s Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington Counties. The loan supports construction of the new Bull Run Treatment Projects to meet federal and state safe drinking water standards. The new filtration facility and related pipelines will filter water from Portland’s Bull Run supply before it goes to customers to remove a pathogen called Cryptosporidium.

“Securing another major WIFIA loan for the Bull Run Treatment Program is a huge step forward in our work to ensure clean, safe, and reliable water for Oregonians,” Sen. Jeff Merkley said. “Oregon’s leaders deserve a tremendous share of the credit for this milestone, as it was their persistence in brainstorming solutions to water infrastructure challenges that led me to create the WIFIA program. With this new federal backing, not only will Portland-area folks be getting safer drinking water, but we will be creating thousands of construction jobs and saving working families money in the process. This is exactly the win-win-win WIFIA was created to achieve for our communities.”

This is the second WIFIA loan provided to support the Bull Run Treatment Projects, which will help protect the public health of residents across the region. 

In addition to removing Cryptosporidium from the Bull Run water source, filtration will provide consistent, high-quality drinking water to meet today’s water quality standards, help address future risks and regulations and improve system resilience.

“Last summer a wildfire burned within two miles of our drinking water facilities in the Bull Run,” said Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. “Filtration is the versatile solution Portland needs to address the water quality risks posed by the seismic, wildfire- and weather-related issues we will face in the future.”

The WIFIA program’s advantageous terms for the second WIFIA loan will help the city save an estimated $140 million of interest costs over the life of the loan. This second loan brings Portland’s total WIFIA loans to over $1 billion for the Bull Run Treatment Program.

“Thriving communities expect and depend on reliable drinking water,” said Bruno Pigott, EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water. “These two WIFIA loans mark the largest EPA contribution ever to a drinking water project, and an impressive step forward for the City of Portland as they ensure safe drinking water for their residents.”

The projects will help create 6,100 jobs, and over $400 million will go to firms certified by the Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID). This highlights the City of Portland’s ongoing initiative to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion. The City of Portland’s Public Works Service Area invests in a job apprenticeship program that recruits individuals from diverse backgrounds and life experiences to learn trade skills and earn rewarding jobs throughout the City.  

"As a Public Works Service Area, we are dedicated to making thoughtful investments into our essential infrastructure with our community, environment, and sustainability in mind,” said Deputy City Administrator for Public Works, Priya Dhanapal. “Our goal is to not only support our current needs but anticipate the needs of future generations. Additionally, the investments we are making into the Bull Run Filtration Plant, along with other Public Works projects, will create jobs today and provide safe, reliable infrastructure for our community members, businesses, and industries to thrive for many generations. The total economic contribution to the tri-county area is more than $1.59 billion in output over the first 10-year period, demonstrating the considerable impact of this investment in our community.”

The construction contracts for the new filtration facility and pipelines will include Community Benefits Agreements that set workforce equity goals for people of color and women in the trades. The contracts also maximize opportunities for Disadvantaged, Minority-Owned, Women-Owned, Emerging Small Businesses, and Service-Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise contractors and subcontractors.  

“Our first and most important priority is to reliably deliver safe, clean water to the nearly 1 million people who depend on us,” said Water Bureau Director Edward Campbell. “This filtration facility is a long-term investment that will pay dividends in protecting our livability, our economy, and our health now and for generations to come. And with the support of the EPA and this low-interest financing, we’re able to reduce the costs of this valuable project for our community members.” 

Since its creation, EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program has announced nearly $21 billion in financing to support $45 billion in water infrastructure projects that are strengthening drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure while creating over 150,000 jobs.    

WIFIA Background  

Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan program administered by the EPA. The WIFIA program aims to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars of water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs. 
 

EPA’s WIFIA loans are an important piece of the Biden-Harris Administration’s initiative of Investing in America’s Infrastructure. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed in November of 2021, provides $50 billion to invest in water infrastructure. Today, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded projects are breaking ground nationwide while tackling legacy pollution, upgrading drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and making communities more resilient to the effects of climate change. 

EPA is currently in its 8th selection round for WIFIA financing. In this round, EPA is offering $6.5 billion through WIFIA, and $1 billion through SWIFIA, which is a loan program exclusively for State infrastructure financing authority borrowers. EPA is currently accepting letters of interest for WIFIA and SWIFIA loans. Learn more about submitting a letter of interest for a WIFIA loan.   

In addition to WIFIA loans, there are many federal funding resources available for communities and utilities to improve vital water and wastewater resources. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness.

Learn more about the EPA’s WIFIA Program and water infrastructure investments under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

For pictures, audio and video of today's announcement event, see this google drive link: WIFIA Day Announcement Photos, Audio, Video - Google Drive

Since 2017, the Portland Water Bureau has detected low levels of Cryptosporidium from routine monitoring of source water. The Portland Water Bureau received results from ongoing monitoring from the Bull Run Watershed intake for Cryptosporidium, a potentially disease-causing microorganism. In the 50 liters sampled each day from December 1 to December 4, two Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in the sample collected on December 2 and one Cryptosporidium oocyst was detected in the sample collected on December 4. Cryptosporidium was not detected in the samples collected on December 1 or December 3. Prior to this detection, Cryptosporidium was last detected from the Bull Run Watershed intake on November 27, 2024.

The Bull Run Watershed is Portland’s primary source of drinking water. The Portland Water Bureau does not currently treat for Cryptosporidium, but is required to do so under drinking water regulations. Portland is working to install filtration by September 30, 2027 under a compliance schedule with the Oregon Health Authority. In the meantime, Portland Water Bureau is implementing interim measures such as watershed protection and additional monitoring to protect public health. Consultation with public health officials has concluded that at this time, customers do not need to take any additional precautions. 

Exposure to Cryptosporidium can cause cryptosporidiosis, a serious illness. Symptoms can include diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain. People with healthy immune systems recover without medical treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with severely weakened immune systems are at risk for more serious disease. Symptoms may be more severe and could lead to serious or life-threatening illness. Examples of people with weakened immune systems include those with AIDS, those with inherited diseases that affect the immune system, and cancer and transplant patients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs.

The Environmental Protection Agency advises that customers who are immunocompromised and receive their drinking water from the Bull Run Watershed consult with their healthcare professional about the safety of drinking the tap water. The Portland Water Bureau and Burlington, City of Gresham, City of Sandy, City of Tualatin, Green Valley, GNR, Hideaway Hills, Lake Grove, Lorna Domestic Water, Lusted, Palatine Hill, Pleasant Home, Raleigh, Rockwood, Skyview Acres, Tualatin Valley, Two Rivers, Valley View and West Slope Water Districts receive all or part of their drinking water supply from Bull Run. To learn if your drinking water comes from Bull Run, please contact your local drinking water provider.

The public and the media are encouraged to view all sampling results posted to the City’s website at portland.gov/water/cryptoresults. The bureau will notify the media and public immediately should further test results indicate a risk to public health and precautions are necessary.

Customers with questions regarding water quality can call the Water Quality Line at 503-823-7525.

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, 53 tanks and reservoirs, and 2,200 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.

Since 2017, the Portland Water Bureau has detected low levels of Cryptosporidium from routine monitoring of source water. The Portland Water Bureau received results from ongoing monitoring from the Bull Run Watershed intake for Cryptosporidium, a potentially disease-causing microorganism. Two Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in the 50 liters collected on November 26 and one Cryptosporidium oocyst was detected in the 50 liters collected on November 27. Prior to this detection, Cryptosporidium was last detected from the Bull Run Watershed intake on November 25, 2024.

The Bull Run Watershed is Portland’s primary source of drinking water. The Portland Water Bureau does not currently treat for Cryptosporidium, but is required to do so under drinking water regulations. Portland is working to install filtration by September 30, 2027 under a compliance schedule with the Oregon Health Authority. In the meantime, Portland Water Bureau is implementing interim measures such as watershed protection and additional monitoring to protect public health. Consultation with public health officials has concluded that at this time, customers do not need to take any additional precautions. 

Exposure to Cryptosporidium can cause cryptosporidiosis, a serious illness. Symptoms can include diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain. People with healthy immune systems recover without medical treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with severely weakened immune systems are at risk for more serious disease. Symptoms may be more severe and could lead to serious or life-threatening illness. Examples of people with weakened immune systems include those with AIDS, those with inherited diseases that affect the immune system, and cancer and transplant patients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs.

The Environmental Protection Agency advises that customers who are immunocompromised and receive their drinking water from the Bull Run Watershed consult with their healthcare professional about the safety of drinking the tap water. The Portland Water Bureau and Burlington, City of Gresham, City of Sandy, City of Tualatin, Green Valley, GNR, Hideaway Hills, Lake Grove, Lorna Domestic Water, Lusted, Palatine Hill, Pleasant Home, Raleigh, Rockwood, Skyview Acres, Tualatin Valley, Two Rivers, Valley View and West Slope Water Districts receive all or part of their drinking water supply from Bull Run. To learn if your drinking water comes from Bull Run, please contact your local drinking water provider.

The public and the media are encouraged to view all sampling results posted to the City’s website at portland.gov/water/cryptoresults. The bureau will notify the media and public immediately should further test results indicate a risk to public health and precautions are necessary.

Customers with questions regarding water quality can call the Water Quality Line at 503-823-7525.

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, 53 tanks and reservoirs, and 2,200 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.v

Since 2017, the Portland Water Bureau has detected low levels of Cryptosporidium from routine monitoring of source water. The Portland Water Bureau received results from ongoing monitoring from the Bull Run Watershed intake for Cryptosporidium, a potentially disease-causing microorganism. One Cryptosporidium oocyst was detected in each of the 50 liters collected on November 24 and November 25. Prior to this detection, Cryptosporidium was last detected from the Bull Run Watershed intake on November 19, 2024.

The Bull Run Watershed is Portland’s primary source of drinking water. The Portland Water Bureau does not currently treat for Cryptosporidium, but is required to do so under drinking water regulations. Portland is working to install filtration by September 30, 2027 under a compliance schedule with the Oregon Health Authority. In the meantime, Portland Water Bureau is implementing interim measures such as watershed protection and additional monitoring to protect public health. Consultation with public health officials has concluded that at this time, customers do not need to take any additional precautions. 

Exposure to Cryptosporidium can cause cryptosporidiosis, a serious illness. Symptoms can include diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain. People with healthy immune systems recover without medical treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with severely weakened immune systems are at risk for more serious disease. Symptoms may be more severe and could lead to serious or life-threatening illness. Examples of people with weakened immune systems include those with AIDS, those with inherited diseases that affect the immune system, and cancer and transplant patients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs.

The Environmental Protection Agency advises that customers who are immunocompromised and receive their drinking water from the Bull Run Watershed consult with their healthcare professional about the safety of drinking the tap water. The Portland Water Bureau and Burlington, City of Gresham, City of Sandy, City of Tualatin, Green Valley, GNR, Hideaway Hills, Lake Grove, Lorna Domestic Water, Lusted, Palatine Hill, Pleasant Home, Raleigh, Rockwood, Skyview Acres, Tualatin Valley, Two Rivers, Valley View and West Slope Water Districts receive all or part of their drinking water supply from Bull Run. To learn if your drinking water comes from Bull Run, please contact your local drinking water provider.

The public and the media are encouraged to view all sampling results posted to the City’s website at portland.gov/water/cryptoresults. The bureau will notify the media and public immediately should further test results indicate a risk to public health and precautions are necessary.

Customers with questions regarding water quality can call the Water Quality Line at 503-823-7525.

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, 53 tanks and reservoirs, and 2,200 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.

Since 2017, the Portland Water Bureau has detected low levels of Cryptosporidium from routine monitoring of source water. The Portland Water Bureau received results from ongoing monitoring from the Bull Run Watershed intake for Cryptosporidium, a potentially disease-causing microorganism. In the 50 liters sampled each day from November 17 to November 20, one Cryptosporidium oocyst was detected from a sample collected on November 18 and November 19. Cryptosporidium was not detected in the samples collected on November 17 or November 20. Prior to this detection, Cryptosporidium was last detected from the Bull Run Watershed intake on November 12, 2024.

The Bull Run Watershed is Portland’s primary source of drinking water. The Portland Water Bureau does not currently treat for Cryptosporidium, but is required to do so under drinking water regulations. Portland is working to install filtration by September 30, 2027 under a compliance schedule with the Oregon Health Authority. In the meantime, Portland Water Bureau is implementing interim measures such as watershed protection and additional monitoring to protect public health. Consultation with public health officials has concluded that at this time, customers do not need to take any additional precautions. 

Exposure to Cryptosporidium can cause cryptosporidiosis, a serious illness. Symptoms can include diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain. People with healthy immune systems recover without medical treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with severely weakened immune systems are at risk for more serious disease. Symptoms may be more severe and could lead to serious or life-threatening illness. Examples of people with weakened immune systems include those with AIDS, those with inherited diseases that affect the immune system, and cancer and transplant patients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs.

The Environmental Protection Agency advises that customers who are immunocompromised and receive their drinking water from the Bull Run Watershed consult with their healthcare professional about the safety of drinking the tap water. The Portland Water Bureau and Burlington, City of Gresham, City of Sandy, City of Tualatin, Green Valley, GNR, Hideaway Hills, Lake Grove, Lorna Domestic Water, Lusted, Palatine Hill, Pleasant Home, Raleigh, Rockwood, Skyview Acres, Tualatin Valley, Two Rivers, Valley View and West Slope Water Districts receive all or part of their drinking water supply from Bull Run. To learn if your drinking water comes from Bull Run, please contact your local drinking water provider.

The public and the media are encouraged to view all sampling results posted to the City’s website at portland.gov/water/cryptoresults. The bureau will notify the media and public immediately should further test results indicate a risk to public health and precautions are necessary.

Customers with questions regarding water quality can call the Water Quality Line at 503-823-7525.

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, 53 tanks and reservoirs, and 2,200 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.