Portland Water Bureau (PWB) has embarked on a landmark 9-year, $500 million water treatment and transmission program to comply with the US EPA’s Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule while maintaining its longstanding reputation for providing some of the best drinking water in the country. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with the PWB for the life of the program, Brown and Caldwell is delivering Program Management services for the 160 mgd Bull Run Water Filtration Plant, with a shared goal of bringing the new facility online by 2027. The plant will feature conventional treatment, oxidation, mechanical solids dewatering, and resilience features to provide greater flexibility for future risks posed by climate change and seismic events. Unique elements that are supporting the program’s success include the extensive use of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) tools to visualize the design before it’s built; and the inclusion of smart instrumentation technologies that will integrate various treatment and distribution system data to provide real-time awareness for proactive, system-wide control.
Safeguarding Portland’s Legacy of Superior Water Quality
