In May 2026 Portland Water Bureau repaired a leaking Bull Run supply conduit in less than 36 hours while groundwater from its well field supplemented supply. After the repair, the city returned to 100% Bull Run water on May 8, 2026, and no water quality impacts were reported.
One main source, one backup
The Bull Run, about 30 miles east of Portland in Mount Hood National Forest, supplied 98% of the city's water in FY 2014-15 and 86% in FY 2015-16. The Columbia South Shore Well Field can produce close to 100 million gallons a day, which the Bureau puts at about half of Bull Run's daily capacity. It augments Bull Run in hot, dry summers and backs it up during winter-storm turbidity. On its own, the Bureau says, it cannot meet the needs of Portland and its wholesale customers.
Fire near the reservoirs
The Camp Creek Fire, started by lightning on August 24, 2023, had burned about 2,055 acres by October 4, 2023, and was about 1.3 miles from Reservoir 1.
What filtration adds
The Bull Run Filtration facility, designed for 135 million gallons a day, is meant to filter out sediment and wildfire ash and allow Bull Run water to be served during turbidity events. It was 43% complete at end-September 2026, and filtered water is required by September 30, 2029.
Per capita demand fell
Total per capita demand fell from 109 gallons a day in FY 2008-09 to 92 in FY 2017-18, and the Bureau delivered about 93 million gallons a day in the year its FY 2024-25 plan reports.
Who governs the system, how its 2,253 miles of mains perform and what its plans mean to 2030 are set out in the full report. The full report, Water Systems Overview: Portland Water Bureau, is available for USD 499. For a free overview, read the Portland Water Bureau Utility Snapshot.