As the cost of building a gigantic new Bull Run water filtration facility has skyrocketed to $2.1 billion, the city of Portland has obtained a $319 million federal loan to help finance the project.
The project, which is now expected to cost four times as much as the $500 million that Portland’s elected officials approved seven years ago, is being financed in part by the Environmental Protection Agency’s second long-term, low-cost loan.
According to officials, the filtration facility, associated pipes, and a finished corrosion control treatment facility are all included in the costs, making it the largest capital construction project in the city’s history. A tight labor market and rising building expenses have been blamed by city officials for the new project’s exorbitant price tag.
In 2021, the first federal loan was granted for $727 million. Ratepayers in the Portland area who use the water will pay back the loans and the remaining expenses through a series of yearly increases in water rates.
According to Portland Water Bureau officials, the new pipelines and water treatment facilities are necessary to guarantee safe, dependable drinking water. The new facility will further lower lead levels at the tap and help filter out the parasite cryptosporidium and other possible impurities, all of which are required by federal law.
By lessening the effects of water turbidity brought on by ash and dirt pouring into streams and reservoirs, the expensive upgrade will also make the Bull Run system more resilient to wildfires. Authorities cite a wildfire that occurred in September of last year and burnt within two miles of the Headworks treatment facility, which purifies all of the water in Bull Run.
Furthermore, the pipes and new filtration plant will be built and designed to withstand earthquakes. The project is anticipated to be operational by 2027, with building having begun earlier this year.
Residents in east Multnomah County are opposed to the construction of the filtration facility, which is located immediately east of Gresham. They have filed an appeal with the state Land Use Board of Appeals against the city’s issuance of a conditional land-use permit for the project. Later this month, the board is anticipated to make a decision in the matter.
Gosia Wozniacka discusses a variety of environmental topics, including climate change, environmental justice, and the switch to sustainable energy. You may contact her at 971-421-3154 or [email protected].
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