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The Portland Water Bureau announced Monday that Portlanders would, for the time being, be getting their water from its groundwater supply rather than from the Bull Run Watershed.
That’s because the cold front that swept high winds through Portland today resulted in a tree falling on the bureau’s Lusted Hill water treatment plant in Gresham, “which impacted our ability to add corrosion treatment to the Bull Run supply,” says bureau spokeswoman Jaymee Cuti.
“The tree fell into the roof causing damage to the interior of the building, including the corrosion treatment feed equipment. This is why we switched to groundwater,” Cuti says. “The extent of the damage is still being assessed. Engineers are evaluating damage to the building.”
A photo provided by the bureau shows a massive evergreen trunk that split near the bottom and fell on top of the facility.
Portland uses rain-fed Bull Run Lake in the Cascade Foothills as its primary water source. Since 1985, the bureau has switched to water from the Columbia South Shore Well Field 43 times, including today’s announcement. Most of those switches have been because of turbidity in the Bull Run Watershed supply or when the bureau supplements Bull Run water with groundwater through the driest part of the year, which is routine.
“Today, Nov. 15, the Water Bureau is activating groundwater from the Columbia South Shore Well Field for an undetermined amount of time,” a statement from the bureau said this afternoon. “Due to the damage, we are unable to provide consistent water treatment from the Bull Run Watershed and will instead serve 100% groundwater.”
The bureau added that the change in sourcing does not change the quality of the water: “No action is needed by the public. Your water remains safe to drink.”