Water Management and Conservation Plan

As part of the Water Bureau’s mission to serve excellent water every minute of every day, we adhere to the value of careful stewardship of natural resources. This means using water as efficiently and sustainably as possible.

To this end, every ten years the bureau prepares an update to its Water Management and Conservation Plan to fulfill the requirements of Oregon Administrative Rule Chapter 690, Division 86 of the Oregon Water Resources Department. Focusing on conservation programs, the draft plan describes how the Water Bureau meets state rules and the drinking water needs of Portlanders. Here are some highlights of the report:

• Plans for encouraging Portlanders to use water efficiently. This report contains a look back and a look forward. It includes information about how the bureau met previous conservation commitments and a list of commitments for the next ten years. In that span, we’ll work on everything from education to rebates to tools for low-income Portlanders. The report also describes efforts to conduct conservation work equitably.

• Plans for a potential water shortage. Even though we haven’t had to restrict water use since 1992, we always want to be prepared in case of a serious drought or emergency. This plan describes how we will address water shortages.

• Plans for using water rights. This report is part of the state’s requirement for cities requesting or maintaining water rights. Portland has a “bank” of groundwater rights we can tap to meet future demand, and every ten years the bureau is required to analyze whether we need access to more water. We must also demonstrate that it we’re using the water we have as efficiently as possible. We analyzed supply and demand and concluded that we have enough water supply to meet projected demand and we are not asking for more water from the “bank” of rights.

Read the full plan at the link below: