The Boil Water Notice issued on Friday, May 23 is lifted. Tap water is safe to drink for all customers of the Portland Water Bureau. Customers of Burlington, City of Gresham (North of I-84), Lake Grove, Lorna Water, Palatine Hill, Rockwood, the Tigard Water Service Area (including Durham, King City and Bull Mountain), Valley View and West Slope Water Districts may now drink tap water without boiling it first.
Follow-up testing of drinking water has shown the absence of bacterial contamination. The Portland Water Bureau recommends flushing all taps for 2 minutes or until the water runs cold before consuming for the first time. This will flush any potentially contaminated water from the plumbing.
The Portland Water Bureau issued a ‘Boil Water Notice’ on May 23, 2014 in response to bacterial contamination detected at three locations in its system. All customers of the Portland Water Bureau and Burlington, City of Gresham (North of I-84), Lake Grove, Lorna Water, Palatine Hill, Rockwood, the Tigard Water Service Area (including Durham, King City and Bull Mountain), Valley View and West Slope Water Districts were affected.
Tests conducted throughout the affected area since the notice was issued were clear of contamination. As a precaution, the Portland Water Bureau will be draining and cleaning Reservoirs 1 and 5. An investigation into determining the source of contamination is ongoing. The reservoirs will be put back into service once it is determined to be safe to do so. The Portland Water Bureau thanks customers for their cooperation and understanding during the boil water notice. While the contamination was likely minimal, the health and safety of customers is the first priority of the bureau. The Portland Water Bureau consulted closely with the Oregon Health Authority – Drinking Water Services and the Multnomah County Health Officer to ensure that all state and federal health procedures were followed and standards were maintained.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
For more information visit www.portlandoregon.gov/water or call the Water Bureau Customer Service line at 503-823-7770.