Public Works outlines ‘1 Water’ framework and unified capital improvement program roadmap

Deputy City Administrator Priya Donipaul presented a high‑level update July 21 on Portland’s first year implementing the 1 Water framework and a unified capital improvement program (unified CIP) intended to coordinate planning and investments across the city’s water, sewer, stormwater and related infrastructure bureaus.

Donipaul said the 1 Water approach treats drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and natural systems as interdependent and emphasizes equity, climate resilience and cross‑bureau collaboration. The city convened a task force and contracted technical support to complete a feasibility study last year; the study produced nine recommendations, Donipaul said, including establishment of a 1 Water leadership team, integrated infrastructure management, a unified capital plan, improved communications and an affordability strategy.

Staff have created an ambassador team of staff working across bureaus, launched a unified CIP current‑state assessment and begun a phased rollout: Phase 1 (current state assessment) completed March–May 2025; Phase 2 (staff engagement and peer interviews) is underway; Phase 3 (final recommendations and decision dashboards) will run August–November 2025. Donipaul said the service area manages more than $75 billion in infrastructure assets and more than 1,000 active capital projects.

Affordability emerged as a central priority. Donipaul said the city faces a forecast of 5–6% per‑year rate increases for water and BES without policy change, and staff are developing a combined affordability strategy, pilots and a joint rate study for water and BES. Staff described pilot programs including a “Smart Discount” (automated, data‑driven discounts) and payment‑matching pilots; the Smart Discount pilot uses a third‑party algorithm and is still in testing, and staff said they plan an algorithmic equity impact assessment before any full rollout.

Donipaul described an emerging unified leadership model that brings the Portland Water Bureau and Bureau of Environmental Services into a coordinated public works service area alongside PBOT and parks. Staff said parks’ transfer into the service area creates opportunities for integrated natural‑resource service delivery. Donipaul said Portland participated in a national 1 Water summit and that peers found Portland’s early progress notable.

Committee members praised the approach and asked technical questions. Councilor Green asked about privacy and AI risks in the Smart Discount pilot; Eric Pacheco, strategy integration and policy manager at the Water Bureau, said the pilot uses customer data and publicly available data via a vendor algorithm (Service) and is in pilot mode to maximize assistance without increasing program budgets. Interim Water Bureau Director Leisha Light said staff will perform an impact assessment and supervise the machine learning model before deployment.

Donipaul closed by listing near‑term priorities: recruit a permanent Portland Utilities Director, finalize the 2025–2030 affordability strategy, begin a joint BES‑Water rate study, stand up a 1 Water innovation forum and continue unified CIP design work. Committee members said they support the work and offered to help with outreach and change management.