Some Portlanders in Southeast neighborhoods turned on their faucets and got muddy brown tap water this morning.
City officials say regular maintenance caused a shift in water pressure, which stirred up sediment in pipes. They say the water is chlorinated, so it’s safe to drink and shower in, should anyone with brown tap water want to do that.
Water officials say the incident wasn’t planned, and they’re investigating what exactly caused the pressure shift.
A glass of tap water pulled from a Southeast Portland residential faucet on June 29, 2022.
April Ehrlich / OPB
“We do maintenance on the system every day,” said Felicia Heaton, Portland Water Bureau Communications Director. “Every now and then, for one reason or another — and we’re still trying to figure out why it happened today — water pressure changes in the system. When that water changes and the flow in pipes in that area shifts, that can disrupt that sediment at the bottom of the pipe.”
The color could stain white clothes, so Heaton said Portlanders who are affected might want to hold off on doing laundry today.
By noon, Heaton said maintenance crews were seeing clear water running through fire hydrants, an indication that the problem could clear up in a few hours.