Portland, Oregon’s Water Bureau has ordered a temporary halt to construction on the $2.1 billion Bull Run Filtration Project following an adverse land-use ruling, the city and OPB reported Friday.
Portland is building the filtration facility and pipelines to comply with federal Safe Drinking Water Act regulations. The Oregon megaproject began construction in the summer of 2024.
The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) sent a decision to Multnomah County in January, stating that the county had not fully considered natural resources when approving the construction.
Bull Run Lake, located 26 miles east of downtown Portland, provides the primary drinking water supply for nearly one million residents in the Portland metropolitan area. Image: City of Portland
City officials said in a statement Friday that the construction “project was temporarily halted until the remand process is complete.” The duration of the construction pause is currently unclear.
Workers received notifications about the pause. Portland officials said they would “maintain erosion control and applicable permit conditions” while working through the legal procedures.
The city faces a September 30, 2027, deadline set by the Oregon Health Authority to provide filtered water to customers. This project arose after the parasite cryptosporidium was discovered in Portland’s water supply in 2017.
Deputy City Administrator for Public Works Priya Dhanapal expressed concern that delays would increase construction costs and the risk of missing the public health compliance deadline.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson affirmed the project’s importance for protecting public health and stated the city’s commitment to participating in the land use process.
Multnomah County planning officials approved Portland Water Bureau’s conditional-use permit application in 2023 for constructing a drinking water facility and a communications tower.
A coalition of community and agricultural groups opposed the decision, which was subsequently appealed to the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA).
The appeal challenged the city’s justification for building on land zoned for agricultural use and raised concerns about the project’s impact on nearby farms.
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