Water Bureau 2022 Audit Status Report

Information
We are tracking one audit within the Portland Water Bureau.
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Elected-in-charge: Mingus Mapps
Bureau or Office Director: Gabriel Solmer


We are tracking one report and two recommendations

Our 2020 audit of groundwater management recommended that Water formalize the groundwater program’s decision-making roles and organizational structure and develop a long-term plan to prioritize groundwater system needs.

The Bureau has implemented one recommendation, and one is in process.

Histogram showing Water 2022 recommendation status.

Highlight from Last Year

We recommended that the Water Bureau clarify and document the decision-making roles and organizational structure of the groundwater program to help ensure issues were addressed in a timely and complete manner. The Bureau completed a charter for the Groundwater Steering Committee that defines roles, responsibilities, and decision-making for the program.

To Do

We recommended that the Bureau document all identified needs for groundwater system improvement and develop a consolidated, long-term plan to prioritize actions within limited resources. The Bureau is planning to develop a consolidated, long-term plan for groundwater.


Groundwater: City identified risks, must develop a long-term plan to address them

Report published June 30, 2020 | Follow-up report | Contact Martha Prinz

Our 2020 audit of the City’s management of the groundwater system found the Water Bureau was working on seismic and emergency preparedness, water quality and capacity planning, and asset management to address a variety of needs. The Bureau formalized decision-making roles and the organizational structure of the program. However, the Bureau still needs to document all identified system needs and to develop a consolidated, long-term plan to address those needs.

On this audit there was one recommendation implemented, and one in process.

Bar chart showing 2022 recommendation status.

In Process Recommendation Details

Icon of a hourglass on a blue background.

We recommended that the Bureau document all identified needs for groundwater system improvement and develop a consolidated, long-term plan to prioritize actions within limited resources. The Bureau is planning to develop a consolidated, long-term plan for groundwater. (Groundwater: City identified risks, must develop a long-term plan to address them)

Implemented Recommendation Details

Icon of a white check mark on a blue background.

We recommended that the Water Bureau clarify and document the decision-making roles and organizational structure of the groundwater program to help ensure issues were addressed in a timely and complete manner. The Bureau completed a charter for the Groundwater Steering Committee that defines roles, responsibilities, and decision-making for the program. (Groundwater: City identified risks, must develop a long-term plan to address them)


Data Notes

At the end of every audit report, we issue a series of recommendations intended to make programs work even better. This report includes the status of Bureau recommendations since 2018, which was the beginning of our new follow-up process. We prepared it with a few audiences in mind:

  • City Council can use it to identify bureaus that may need additional resources or support in order to implement recommendations.
  • Bureau directors can use it to assess bureau performance and to determine if any changes in policy or procedure are necessary.
  • Bureau management and staff can use it to track recommendation status across audits to develop work plans and priorities.
  • General public can use it to monitor the status of recommendations related to topics of interest and to compare performance across bureaus.

This report includes recommendation status as of December 31, 2022.


Translated reports

Most reports are available in four languages: Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Russian. We are translating new reports as they’re released, but older reports may not be available in a language other than English. If you would like to request a translated version of a report, please contact KC Jones.


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