The Portland Water Bureau has returned to providing 100% Bull Run water to Portlanders. Since July 22nd, the Portland Water Bureau has been supplementing the Bull Run supply by blending our secondary water source, groundwater from the Columbia South Shore Well Field, with the Bull Run supply to meet customers' needs through the dry summer.
It can take up to two weeks after a transition like this for customers to receive 100 percent Bull Run water at their taps, depending on the location.
Careful management of the groundwater system allowed us to provide clean, safe drinking water to the region despite this year's unseasonably dry summer weather.
"Keeping our water clean and safe during longer dry seasons means taking care of the systems that deliver it," said Portland Water Bureau Director Quisha Light. "We're investing in maintenance and improvements today so our community can count on reliable water no matter the weather."
Water system investments matter
Our ability to reliably provide clean, safe water for future generations depends on sustaining investments in our water system. Ratepayer funding makes it possible for the bureau to tap two sources of clean, reliable water to adapt to a changing environment.
Portland Water is planning a new 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.
"You fund this critical work every time you pay your water bill," Light said. "Each payment is an investment in our community's ability to maintain our resilient water system."
Working for Water Around the Clock
It takes more than 600 highly skilled employees operating and maintaining $25 billion worth of infrastructure like pipes, pumps, tanks, and reservoirs to get the water to your tap.
"Getting water to pour from a faucet seems simple," said Director of Operations Kimberly Gupta. "But it takes the hard work of engineers, construction crews, customer service staff, certified operators and more to continually deliver safe water."