Fall Color Showing up in Drinking Water -- Normal for Unfiltered Bull Run Water Supply

Each summer the reservoir levels diminish as the metropolitan area uses drinking water from this stored supply in the Mt. Hood National Forest.

Fall foliage in the Bull Run Reservoir Photo: City of Portland

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Portland Water Bureau drinking water customers may be noticing a slight color change in the drinking water this time of year. The change in color is typical for the Bull Run drinking water system in the fall.

"Some people call us every year," says Administrator David Shaff. "However, the color only affects the appearance of the water. Neither taste nor water quality is affected. This is the best drinking water in the world – from forest to faucet."

The pale tint results from the first flush of organic material from vegetation that has been washed from the forest floor and stream channels into the reservoirs in the Bull Run watershed.

Each summer the reservoir levels diminish as the metropolitan area uses drinking water from this stored supply in the Mt. Hood National Forest. This fall, light rains have begun – and customers are seeing a slight color in their drinking water.

The Water Bureau routinely monitors for all water quality standards. Portland's drinking water continues to meet all state and federal requirements. Portland's water supply is not filtered – the Bull Run source has met the filtration avoidance criteria of the Surface Water Treatment Rule since 1992.

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