Bull Run water provides drinking water for a million people in the Portland metro area. Construction on the $2.58 billion dollar treatment plant that will filter the microscopic parasite cryptosporidium, along with contamination from debris from storms and landslides. The treatment plant was previously scheduled to come online in 2027, but delays and rising costs have pushed the timeline into 2029. Photo Sept. 10, 2026.
Jule Gilfillan / OPB
A million people in the Portland area get their water from the Bull Run watershed, about 25 miles east of the city.
The City Council voted in 2017 to build the water filtration plant to protect against cryptosporidium in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency standards.
The project was originally estimated at $500 million, but it’s since risen to $2.58 billion. The water bureau says a number of factors worked to drive up the price tag, including skyrocketing construction costs and defending the project against a number of land use challenges. The filtration plant is now the largest public works project in the city’s history.
Bull Run Lake as seen on Sept. 10, 2026.
Jule Gilfillan / OPB
It was originally scheduled to be completed next year. But after delays, it is now about 40% complete and on track to be operational in 2029. The Portland Water Bureau’s Interim Chief Engineer Muriel Gueissaz-Teufel joins us, along with Lyda Hakes, the Bull Run supply and treatment manager. They share more details about why this kind of filtration is needed, how it will work and the benefits for Portland-area residents.
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