Portlanders are welcomed for a one-day first look at the newly restored Washington Park Reservoir from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 14. The new park space includes two reflecting pools, a wildlife habitat area, public walking paths, and restored historic features. This “sneak peek” event will feature activities for families, festivities, tours, and a community outreach fair.
While the full public opening is still to come, this event is a celebration of the amazing progress we’ve made and a chance to experience the future of this unique site. Work is still underway to complete certain elements of the reflecting pools, promenade, and surrounding areas. Because the site remains an active construction area, it is not yet ready for permanent public access.
The Water Bureau and our partners will alert the public when we set a date for the permanent opening of the park. Our top priority is ensuring that when we do open fully, the site meets the highest standards of safety, quality, accessibility, and sustainability.
We know how much Portlanders are looking forward to this event — and we have so much to celebrate! Portland Water Bureau, Hoffman Construction, Explore Washington Park, and our many event partners have prepared the site for this first-look celebration on Saturday, June 14.
“This weekend, we are celebrating a once-in-a-generation investment that will serve Portland for decades to come,” said Deputy City Administrator Priya Dhanapal. “We have transformed a vulnerable site into a resilient reservoir already delivering safe, reliable drinking water to more than 360,000 people on the west side—including schools, hospitals, and businesses. We are also completing a stunning public plaza with a promenade, reflecting pools, and restored historic features. I am thrilled our community gets this first look at what will become one of Portland’s most iconic public spaces."
Be one of the first to see this modern engineering marvel, but make sure to plan ahead! Details on event and the best ways to get there are on the event web page. We encourage you to plan ahead for your commute.
Getting there could be challenging! Parking lots will fill by 10 a.m. and street parking near the site is extremely limited, so take TriMet instead. Washington Park is easy to get to via MAX or bus. The reservoir plaza is steps away from the Oregon Holocaust Memorial stop on the free Washington Park shuttle loop. Plan your trip with Explore Washington Park’s handy guide.
What’s so special about this reservoir?
The Water Bureau has replaced its original 1894 reservoirs with a new 12.4-million-gallon, seismically reinforced underground reservoir. While the opening of the reflecting pools and promenade is delayed by a few months, this earthquake-resilient reservoir is already supplying water to Portland’s west side and serves more than 360,000 people, including all downtown businesses and residents, 20 schools, 5 hospital complexes, and more than 60 parks.
As the City prepared to celebrate the long-anticipated opening of the Washington Park Reservoir site, construction and operational teams identified a number of remaining items that need attention before the site can be safely and permanently opened to the public. While disappointing, these discoveries are not uncommon during final project startup and testing for infrastructure of this size and complexity. The final to-do list includes construction-related pedestrian hazards, necessary safety signage, and non-operational elements like the hypochlorite system and reflecting pool pumps
Following the June 14 celebration event, the site will close to the public while the City and its construction partners complete the remaining tasks for permanent public access.
We have not set a confirmed grand opening date. Our priority is to complete the work thoroughly and safely.
We’ll continue to share information as it becomes available on our Washington Park Reservoir project web page and by email. Sign up to get email updates about Washington Park.