The Bull Run Water Filtration Plant is a multi-billion-dollar endeavor that has been plagued by transparency and accountability issues for years. The Oregonian took a deep dive on this project with the March 2026 piece, “Portland leaders promised a fiscal watchdog for unruly mega project. They didn’t deliver, and costs soared.”
Increasing prices for Portland Water Bureau ratepayers
Portland Water Bureau ratepayers from Sandy to Portland are already seeing higher bills due to this "unruly mega project." Mayor Keith Wilson and the Portland City Council raised Portland water rates by 8% in June 2025. They are planning to raise rates by at least 8% each year going forward to offset the costs—making a basic necessity of life too expensive for many local residents. Unless we take action now.
Lack of transparency and accountability
Portland Water Bureau has consistently demonstrated an insufficient level of transparency on various facets of this project, from why the filtration technology was chosen to the expected cost increases for water ratepayers. As reported by The Oregonian in March 2026, civic leaders have been calling for an independent entity to provide objective oversight of the Bull Run Water Filtration Plant since at least 2024, but it has not yet occurred.
A big city sacrificing small towns and world-class farmland
This is a case of a larger municipality sacrificing the livability of unincorporated towns across two counties and damaging large tracts of world-class farmland.
Despite ongoing advocacy from the Cottrell Community Planning Organization (Cottrell CPO) and other local grassroots groups, Portland Water Bureau is currently bulldozing the tight-knit communities of Cottrell in North Clackamas County and Pleasant Home in east Multnomah County. Many acres of farmland have been destroyed, local businesses have been impacted, and many residents have experienced severe disruptions to daily life including reduced access to school, work, emergency services, and even their own properties.
These communities are experiencing outsize impacts for relatively few gains: Only some Pleasant Home and Cottrell are going to receive water from this project, and local water systems have experienced sedimentation due to the construction of the Bull Run Water Filtration Plant. Residents are also concerned about ongoing impacts related to living close to an industrial facility once the construction is complete and the filtration plant is operational.
TAP into our proposed alternatives to the current plan for the Bull Run Water Filtration Plant.
TAP into community actions to promote affordability, accountability, and alternatives that work.