Filtration Benefits
We're planning a new drinking water filtration facility and pipelines to keep our water safe and abundant for the nearly one million people who depend on it today and for future generations. Bull Run Filtration is needed to comply with federal and state safe drinking water regulations and remove the disease-causing microorganism Cryptosporidium from our water supply.
Bull Run Filtration will benefit:
- Our Health: using proven treatment methods to deliver clean, safe drinking water to customers.
- Our Economy: creating jobs building water infrastructure vital to local businesses, industry, and residents.
- Our Future: enhancing our water system's resilience, reducing future risks, and better protecting customers.
Achieving Compliance
We met the first two major project compliance milestones with the Oregon Health Authority, and we're on track to meet the final milestone in 2027.
- November 30, 2020 (completed): submit pilot study and preliminary planning
- October 31, 2022 (completed): submit final construction plans and construction schedule
- September 30, 2027: water served meets surface water and Cryptosporidium treatment requirements
Project Overview
The improvements we're planning 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.
The project includes a new water filtration facility designed to filter 135 million gallons of water per day. We're also designing new seismically resilient pipelines to connect the facility to our existing water system and retire aging segments of existing pipeline.
Project Timeline
It takes about 10 years to plan, design, and build a project of this size. We're currently in design and on track to begin delivering filtered Bull Run water by September 30, 2027, to meet our compliance schedule. We're committed to engaging with our community, gathering feedback, and keeping customers informed throughout the project. Check out our community outreach history and upcoming opportunities to get involved.
- Sign up for Bull Run Treatment Projects Updates
- Find upcoming events
- Learn about work with our Site Advisory Group
Planning Complete (2018-2020)
We completed two years of planning work and community engagement to guide design of the water filtration facility and pipelines.
Key milestones include:
- In 2018, Portland City Council identified the facility location and size, and the filtration technology best-suited for Portland's drinking water.
- In 2019, following those initial Council decisions, we completed extensive planning and engineering analysis to guide design of the facility and pipelines. This work is documented in the Project Definition Report.
- In November 2019, City Council approved Resolution 37460 which set priority values and expectations to guide project design and implementation.
- In October 2020, we identified preferred routes for new pipelines to connect the facility to the existing water system.
Design Underway (2020-2022)
We're designing the water filtration facility and pipelines to be key components of a resilient water system. This includes planning a multi-barrier filtration treatment process to better protect against water quality risks from a fire or other natural disaster and taking a holistic approach to sustainable design to improve reliability and optimize energy use of the planned facilities.
Key milestones include:
- In July 2021, we completed the first design milestone for the water filtration facility: The Filtration Facility Basis of Design Report. This report describes preliminary design of the facility, establishing water quality and level of service goals and providing detailed narratives for each treatment process. The report also includes design criteria for key disciplines, site utilization plans, and project implementation strategies.
- In September 2022, we submitted our land use application to Multnomah County. We plan to submit our land use application to Clackamas County later this year.
- In 2022, the detailed designs for the facility and pipelines will be refined and further developed as design advances through the 60 percent and 90 percent milestones.
- In October 2022, we submitted the final filtration construction plans and schedule to the Oregon Health Authority.
Benefits of treatment process
- Removes Cryptosporidium and other potential disease-causing microorganisms from the Bull Run supply.
- Helps address turbidity (suspended sediment in water) and other potential impacts to the water supply that could result from a fire, landslide, or other natural disaster.
- Reduces regulated compounds that can cause cancer (disinfection byproducts) by removing organics in the water.
Benefits of sustainable design
- Water filtration facility will use gravity flow, which is more reliable and energy-efficient than pumped systems.
- Use of low-carbon concrete is planned for facility process basins and structures to help reduce supply-chain greenhouse gas emissions.
- Facility Administration Building is expected to have net-zero energy use.
- Participating in a pilot program to identify local and regional market options for sustainably sourced construction wood products.
- Pursuing Envision certification for the facility, which provides a third-party framework for assessing sustainability, resilience, and equity in civil infrastructure.
- Working with the Energy Trust of Oregon to identify other energy reduction opportunities.
Construction Upcoming (2023-2028)
We expect construction to begin in 2023 and be substantially complete by September 2027. We'll have more details to share about construction activities and the schedule after we complete the designs. The water filtration facility and pipelines will be built using Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) delivery.
Benefits of CM/GC delivery
- Contractor input during design to identify the best construction methods and sequencing to help protect the environment, limit disruption to the community, and maintain continuous water delivery to our customers.
- Quick start for construction to keep our compliance schedule on track.
- Regional Workforce Agreements that set contracting and workforce equity commitments.
Construction Updates: For information about current and upcoming field work, visit the Filtration Construction webpage.
Project Funding
These investments in the future of Portland’s drinking water are funded through business and residential customer rates and by borrowing money over time. We secured long-term, low-cost federal financing through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) to help build the Bull Run Treatment Projects. The WIFIA loan will significantly reduce the cost to ratepayers while keeping the region’s water safe and abundant for generations to come.
Benefits of WIFIA loan
- Estimated to provide $247 million of debt-service savings over the loan term.
- Low interest rate of 1.89 percent is locked in for the life of the loan.
- Repayment can begin in 2032 after customers are getting facility benefits.
We're committed to keeping water rates affordable by actively managing costs throughout the life of the project. We'll continue to assist those who struggle to afford their bill through the expanded low-income assistance program. If you’re having trouble affording your bill, our Financial Assistance program may be able to help.
Project Location
The water filtration facility is planned on City property in eastern Multnomah County that was purchased back in the 1970s because of its proximity to our existing infrastructure and the site elevation. This location allows gravity flow of water from the Bull Run Watershed through the new filtration facility to our customers in the Portland region.
