What to expect during a Water Bureau construction project

We want you to be safe around the work site. Please keep children, pets, bikes, cars, and trucks away from the tools, machines, supplies, and construction workers. 

A city inspector will be on-site during most work hours and may be able to assist you with construction concerns. Inspectors typically wear a hard hat and safety vest with “City of Portland” on the back. For additional questions or concerns, email waterprojects@portlandoregon.gov or call 503-823-0102.

Construction can create noise, vibration, and dust and disrupts normal neighborhood activity. 

Work hours are typically 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Sometimes we work on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. When our crews have to work outside of those hours (e.g., overnight, on Sundays), we are required to apply for a noise permit from the City’s Noise Office. As part of that permit process, we will notify everyone in advance, and have a 24-hour hotline you can call.

The work will slow down traffic in your neighborhood. Please plan accordingly, read the traffic signs, and follow directions from the workers with flags.

We want you to be safe, so you might not be able to park your car next to job sites, equipment, or materials. If crews are working directly in front of your home or a business, you may need to park in another place. We do our best to make sure driveways and parking lot entrances stay open.

Sometimes we’ll need to leave tools, machines, and supplies on your street overnight. For your own safety, please stay away from them.

You can still use sewer, water, and other services while we work on your street. If there is a planned service disruption, we will notify you at least 24 hours ahead of time. We will work with garbage, mail, and delivery services to make sure they still happen.

Our work schedules can change for many reasons like weather, traffic, and problems with tools, machines, or availability of supplies. Sometimes we need to stop between different types of work and start again later. 

During the project design process, various project team members will be in the neighborhood collecting information that will help them develop a successful project. You may see engineers inspecting the site or roadway, survey crews taking various measurements, utility locate crews marking underground utilities, community outreach staff talking to residents and businesses, and other field crews conducting important investigations. 

To plan for water improvements, it is necessary for survey crews to collect information about a proposed construction area. Survey crews take a variety of measurements to determine public right-of-way boundaries, private property lines, public easement boundaries, the presence of utility vaults and other landmarks, and other necessary measurements. 

To plan for water improvements, it is important to know what utilities are underground. To avoid damaging those utilities during construction, it is necessary to locate and mark where they are. 

View full size image of Graphic explaining utility locate survey color markers and what they mean: White - proposed excavation. Pink - temporary survey markings. Red - electric power lines, cables, conduits and lighting cables. Yellow - gas, oil, steam, petroleum or gaseous materials. Orange - communication, alarm or signal lines, cable or conduit. Blue - potable water. Purple - reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines. Green - sewer and drain lines. Call 811 before you dig.

Crews paint markings on the street in different colors. They may also place small flags in the ground, or wooden stakes with ribbons, to indicate the presence of underground utilities. 

Each color has meaning and indicates what utility is present: 

• White—proposed excavation.
• Pink—temporary survey markings.
• Red—electric power lines, cables, conduit, and lighting cables.
• Yellow—gas, oil, steam, petroleum, or gaseous materials.
• Orange—communication, alarm, or signal lines, cables, or conduit.
• Blue—potable (drinking) water.
• Purple—reclaimed water, irrigation, and slurry lines.
• Green—sewer and drain lines. 

When a public utility is near a water pipe, or other critical structure, it may be necessary to dig a hole in the street or ground to find the precise location of the utility. This activity is called "potholing." When potholing is complete, crews fill the holes and apply an asphalt patch. 

To plan for water improvements, it is important to know the conditions that engineers and construction crews will encounter underground—the soil types, soil conditions, water levels, rocks, pavement layers, and whether any contaminated soils are present. This information will help engineers determine the appropriate methods to use in constructing the water improvements. 

Before crews can get the samples, they must first locate and mark underground utilities to identify safe drilling locations. To obtain the soil, rock, water, and pavement samples, crews dig small holes in street pavement and collect the samples. When soil sampling is complete, crews fill the holes. 

Before construction begins, site inspectors will take extensive photos of the work area to document pre-existing conditions. They will take photos of streets, curbs, sidewalks, driveway aprons, and other features of the public right-of-way and private properties that may be affected by construction. 

This photographic documentation may be used to determine whether reported damages were present before construction began or occurred during construction. 

To protect trees from damage by large construction equipment, it is necessary to trim tree branches at appropriate clearance levels from the street and curb where construction will occur. A general rule is 15 feet at each curbside and 20 feet in the center of the street. Typically, branches hanging over the sidewalk will not be trimmed. 

During the design of water project, a certified arborist will tour the project area to determine where trees will need to be trimmed before construction can occur on that street. All tree trimming work will be supervised by a certified arborist and will be done at the city's expense.   

Before construction begins on a street, crews will install tree protective fencing where necessary to protect tree trunks, roots, and branches from damage. The orange fencing will remain in place until construction is completed. 

Erosion control is important to prevent soil, sediment, and cement dug up during construction from entering the sewer and stormwater drainage systems and our rivers and streams. Erosion control helps prevent sewer blockages, basement sewer backups, damage to properties, and loss of wildlife habitat. 

Before construction begins and throughout the project, crews will install various measures to prevent erosion of soil, sediment, and cement. These measures include installing filtration bags inside storm drains and placing bags of wood chips outside storm drains within the project area. Crews may also install fencing to contain sediment and debris on the work site. 

Prior to beginning the work to install water improvements on your street, crews will establish a safe work zone for construction. These activities include the following: 

• Set up staging area for equipment and materials, which may be stored on nearby streets overnight.
• Install temporary traffic control signs according to approved traffic control plans.
• Install temporary on-street parking removal areas to create a safe work zone.
• Post signs and fliers to notify properties of upcoming construction. 

To prevent larger water shut offs later in the project, neighbors can expect shut offs lasting a single day as crews install additional valves. The valves allow us to turn off water between sections of pipe. This allows us to break a long segment of pipe into smaller parts. Neighbors should keep an eye on their front doors for shut off notices. Water Bureau crews will post notices at least 24 hours before any shut off. 

Is something wrong with your water service? See a leak in the street? Call the Portland Water Bureau 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Contact the Water Emergency Line at 503-823-4874 or dispatch@portlandoregon.gov. 

You can also visit our report a water service problem page for more information.

Want to report discolored water, water that tastes or smells bad, water pressure that's too high or too low, or no water at the tap? Our water quality specialists can help!

Contact the Water Quality Line at 503-823-7525 or wbwaterline@portlandoregon.gov.

The Water Quality Line operates Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you contact us outside of these hours, we will respond the next business day.

Learn how to detect leaks at your home or business with this guide from the water efficiency team.