January 2026 Bull Run Treatment Projects Update

City of Portland, Oregon sent this bulletin at 01/30/2026 03:33 PM PST

Bull Run Treatment Projects Update

Click image to view video about what makes the Bull Run Filtration Project a megaproject

Committed to a strong finish

The Bull Run Filtration Project is a transformative, once-in-a-generation investment to protect public health and make our water system more resilient. It’s also the City of Portland’s largest public works project and an example of what experts call a “megaproject.” These complex, large-scale, multiyear projects can be challenging to deliver but also provide lasting results for the communities they serve.

To help manage this megaproject, the City formed a Project Delivery Advisory Team (PDAT). This team pairs members of the Portland Utility Board (PUB) with national leaders in infrastructure construction management. Their expertise will strengthen technical execution, enhance accountability, and provide long-lasting community benefits.

Over the coming months, the PDAT will support project leadership with recommendations that help keep the project’s cost and schedule on track. Their findings will be shared with PUB, City Council, and the community.

The team began their work with a visit to the project sites to see construction progress firsthand. In February, the PDAT will join PUB for the first of four meetings planned for 2026.

Learn more about the PDAT

Filtration construction update

Each day, more than 160 skilled workers arrive at the facility site by bus and vanpool to help build the future of our region’s drinking water. Crews are busy pouring concrete for treatment basins, underground pipe encasements, and building foundations. Much of this concrete is “low-carbon,” a more sustainable option that reduces the climate impact of construction.

Crews are using a special microtunneling machine to install new water pipeline under Carpenter Lane. This section of pipe will connect the water distribution system to the facility’s underground storage for filtered water. The tunneling work is already halfway complete, with more than 280 feet of new pipeline installed.

We’re also building several “tie-ins” connecting our water conduits from the Bull Run to the filtration facility. In January, crews successfully cut into the first of our existing conduits as part of this work. These tie-ins take careful planning and a precise schedule. Our contractors and operators work closely to make sure the current and new infrastructure fits together seamlessly. This planning avoids any service disruptions for the businesses and homes that rely on our drinking every day.

To learn more about what’s happening at the construction sites, visit Portland.gov/filtrationconstruction

Neighbor Information

Bull Run Filtration: neighbor update meeting (January 2026)

At the January 8 meeting, community members heard an update on pipeline and facility construction for the Bull Run Filtration Projects. Topics included traffic restrictions in the project area and construction methods for the pipeline tunnel excavation.

Visit the January 2026 Neighbor Update Meeting web page to see the meeting presentation and recording.

Bull Run Filtration: coffee with the contractor

The Water Bureau will host an informal drop-in session where Bull Run Filtration Project neighbors can chat with representatives of the facility and pipeline construction teams, ask questions, and hear about recent progress and upcoming work. There is no presentation, so stop in anytime between 9:00 and 10:30 a.m.

Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026
Time: 9-10:30 a.m.
Where: Multnomah County Grange #71, 30639 SE Bluff Road, Gresham

Can't make it this time? Join us at the next Coffee with the Contractor event March 12, 2026.

Stay up to date on the latest construction activity:

Sign up for the Filtration Neighbor e-news. Select the “Neighbor updates” box to get an email each Friday about what is planned the following week.
Visit the construction activity web page for what’s happening now, what’s happening next, ongoing activities, frequently asked construction questions, and more!
Sign up for construction traffic text notifications to get updates on road and lane closures.
Check out ODOT’s TripCheck for project-related and other road and lane closures in the area.

About the Bull Run Treatment Projects

To comply with federal Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, the Portland Water Bureau is planning a water filtration facility and related pipelines, and recently completed an improved corrosion control treatment facility. The Bull Run Treatment Projects will provide consistent, high-quality drinking water that meets today’s water quality standards, helps address aging infrastructure concerns and future risks and regulations, and improves system resilience to help keep our water safe and abundant for generations to come.

Learn more at portland.gov/BullRunProjects

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This email was sent from an unmonitored inbox. Please do not reply. Instead, contact us at bullrunprojects@portlandoregon.gov.