Portland sewer, stormwater, and water rates to increase July 1, 2026

The increased rate pays for operating, maintaining, and improving our drinking water, sewer, and stormwater systems. These systems provide clean drinking water, move and treat wastewater, and safely manage stormwater. These services are essential for homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, parks, and the health and vitality of our region.

Portland's utilities are publicly owned. Rates are based on the cost of providing services, with no profit built in.

What sewer, stormwater, and water rate increases pay for

Like many utilities across the country, the Water Bureau and Environmental Services face rising costs to operate, maintain, and improve our systems.

The rate increase is needed for several reasons, including:

• Rising costs for necessary materials, equipment, and workers
• Replacing or repairing aging pipes, pump stations, treatment facilities, and other critical infrastructure
• Federal and state regulations for drinking water and wastewater systems
• Long-term infrastructure investments like the Bull Run Filtration Project

When you pay your utility bill, you directly support the operation, maintenance, and improvement of Portland's sewer, stormwater, and water systems. Your dollars help pay for:

• Replacing aging pipes before they fail
• Maintaining pump stations
• Operating drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities
• Urgent repairs
• Meeting environmental regulations
• Major infrastructure projects that keep our utility services reliable for generations to come

Learn more about what your utility bill pays for

Why rates increase over time

Portland's sewer, stormwater, and drinking water systems are large and complex. Together, the Water Bureau and Environmental Services manage more than $50 billion in utility infrastructure. This includes over 4,750 miles of pipe, more than 100 pump stations, 5 treatment facilities, 54 water tanks and covered reservoirs, and much more.

Much of this infrastructure is decades old, and some of it is over 100 years old. Infrastructure that's at the end of its useful life is more likely to break or fail. Many parts of our systems were built around the same time, so we have a lot of infrastructure that needs to be replaced soon.

We invest in proactive maintenance and replacements to reduce the risk of emergency repairs, service disruptions, sewer backups, water main breaks, and other system failures. Delaying these investments often leads to more system failures. That results in more expensive repairs and greater impacts on current and future Portlanders.

We also make long-term investments to improve our systems. We have nearly $3 billion in capital investments planned over the next five years. These investments include:

• Replacing and upgrading aging sewer pipes and pumps. For example, our Carolina Trunk Sewer Project is replacing a large sewer pipe beneath Interstate 5 in South Portland. The Inverness Pump Station and Force Main Improvement Program includes multiple projects to repair and replace critical force mains (pressurized wastewater pipes) and related infrastructure serving around 60,000 residents and businesses.
• Completing the final phases of the Secondary Treatment Expansion Program at the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant. We're expanding the plant's treatment capacity and making upgrades to improve reliability, support regulatory compliance, and better manage large amounts of wastewater during wet weather.
• The Bull Run Filtration Project, which is needed to comply with federal and state drinking water regulations. It will remove the disease-causing microorganism Cryptosporidium from our water. Filtration will also remove sediment (dirt) and organic material (bits of plants) from our drinking water. The project will prepare our drinking water system for wildfires, extreme weather, and other emergencies. About 40 percent of planned increases to water rates will pay for the filtration project.

Annual rate increases make sure we can continue paying for this essential work as the costs of materials, equipment, and workers rise.

Managing costs and planning for the future

The Water Bureau and Environmental Services work to manage costs and reduce impacts on customers when possible. Our budget teams balance the financial pressures of managing large, complex systems with impacts on our customers, like potential service disruptions.

We continue to look for ways to streamline operations, improve efficiency, prioritize critical capital projects, and phase large investments over time where we can. Grants, low-interest loans, and long-term bonds help spread major costs over longer periods. These strategies help manage costs while maintaining essential services and complying with regulations.

Long-term financial plans identify future infrastructure and operational needs while balancing rate affordability. This planning helps us avoid sudden spikes in rates by spreading out necessary increases over more time. We update our financial plans each year to adjust for inflation, construction costs, regulatory requirements, interest rates, emergency needs, and other economic conditions.

As part of the City's annual budget process, we present rate options to the Portland City Council. City Council reviews and approves all rates each year.

Learn more about how we manage costs

New Flood Safety Benefit Fee

On July 1, 2026, customers will see a new fee added to their City of Portland utility bills. The fee will be collected through the utility bill, but it is not a sewer, stormwater, or water charge.

The Flood Safety Benefit Fee will fund the City of Portland's required payments to the Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District. The fee helps pay for flood safety infrastructure along the Columbia River. Single-family residential customers will pay $3.60 for a typical 90-day quarterly bill for this fee, or about $1.20 each month.

Learn more about the Flood Safety Benefit Fee

Supporting customers

We know that higher bills affect our customers. If you are having trouble paying your bill, help is available. We offer bill discounts, crisis vouchers, and interest-free payment plans. Please contact us at PWBCustomerService@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-7770.

• Financial assistance: We offer bill discounts and other forms of assistance for income-qualified single-family residential customers.
• Clean River Rewards: Customers who safely manage stormwater on their property can get a discount of up to 35 percent on their stormwater charges.
• Crisis assistance: We provide credits of up to $500 for eligible customers experiencing a personal crisis that affects their ability to pay their bill.
• Payment arrangements: Our flexible payment options can extend your due date, break your bill into multiple payments, or help you get caught up on your bills.

Learn more about our financial assistance programs