Water bureau outlines Bull Run filtration deadline, AMI rollout and affordability programs

The Portland Water Bureau told the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that regulatory compliance, system resilience and customer affordability are top priorities.

“Since 2017, we have regularly detected cryptosporidium in the Bull Run watershed exceeding allowable levels,” the bureau said, noting it must have a filtration facility online by Sept. 30, 2027 under its compliance agreement with the Oregon Health Authority.

Water bureau leadership described the filtration project as a major regulatory‑driven capital investment that also increases seismic and climate resilience. The bureau manages roughly $25,000,000,000 in infrastructure assets and said its 10‑year capital improvement plan emphasizes regulatory compliance, proactive replacement of aging infrastructure and reducing consequences of failures.

The bureau also described a planned roll‑out of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) that it said will provide near real‑time usage data, improve leak detection, and enable monthly billing instead of quarterly statements. “AMI will transform how we interact with customers,” the bureau said.

On affordability, customer‑service leaders said Portland has had a long history of discounted and emergency assistance programs and spends about $20,000,000 a year on affordability efforts. Quisha Light, customer service group director for the Water Bureau, said the bureaus are expanding a joint affordability strategy and moving toward data‑driven targeting of support.

Eric Pacheco, equity and policy manager, summarized affordability analysis: the median combined Portland utility bill was about $110 per month last fiscal year; at minimum wage that equates to roughly seven hours of work to pay the bill. The bureau’s analytics estimate about 20% of customers need some form of assistance.

The Water Bureau said its ten‑year funding gap is approximately $100,000,000, with an $82,000,000 shortfall over the next five years and an additional $18,000,000 in the subsequent five‑year period; the bureau said those gaps put pressure on maintaining service levels while keeping rates affordable. The bureau urged committee support for predictable rates, leveraging federal/state assistance programs and endorsing emerging funding opportunities.

Ending: Committee members requested more granular cost and funding scenarios and discussed whether one‑time grants could be used to offset regulatory‑driven liabilities such as the filtration project.