A major water infrastructure project serving nearly one million people in the Portland metropolitan area is now expected to become operational in 2029, according to a progress report published by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
The Bull Run filtration plant was originally scheduled to come online in 2027. The Portland Water Bureau now says the facility is about 40% complete and on track for a 2029 operational target, OPB reported.
The plant is intended to filter the microscopic parasite cryptosporidium, as well as contamination associated with debris from storms and landslides. Portland City Council voted in 2017 to build the facility to comply with Environmental Protection Agency standards, OPB said.
The estimated cost has increased from $500 million to $2.58 billion. The water bureau attributed the rise to sharply higher construction costs and efforts to defend the project against land-use challenges, according to the report.
Bull Run is Portland’s primary drinking-water source. The watershed, located about 26 miles east of downtown, supplies most of the city’s water through reservoirs, treatment facilities and large transmission pipes, the Portland Water Bureau says.
The city’s official watershed description says Bull Run serves nearly one million people in the Portland metro area and that water from its reservoirs is treated before being transported through the regional system. The 2029 date is a planned operational milestone; the project remains under construction.