Gresham residents have been flooding city hall with reports of a strong chlorine smell and taste coming out of their taps as the utility continues its shift away from Portland’s Bull Run surface water supply. City officials maintain the water is safe to drink and say the sharper odor is a short-term side effect of that transition.
In a statement to Your Oregon News, Mike Whiteley, Gresham’s water department director, explained that “as the remaining chloraminated water moves out of the system and mixes with free chlorine, some customers may temporarily notice a stronger chlorine odor or taste.” Whiteley told the outlet the city is tracking chlorine levels and running regular bacteriological tests across the distribution system to protect public health.
Why Residents Are Noticing a Change
Gresham and the Rockwood Water People’s Utility District are in the process of shifting to the Cascade Groundwater Alliance, a network of wells that draws from a deep sand-and-gravel aquifer. According to the City of Gresham, that groundwater is treated with free chlorine instead of the chloramine blend Portland uses for Bull Run surface water. Rockwood Water People’s Utility District notes that when the two disinfectants mix during the changeover, taste and smell can temporarily shift, even though the finished water still meets state and federal standards.
Regional Context and the Bull Run Filtration Project
The Portland Water Bureau says its Bull Run filtration program must be completed to comply with state and federal rules for Cryptosporidium, with a target date of September 30, 2027, and a total cost estimate for filtration facilities and pipelines that has climbed into the billions. According to the Portland Water Bureau and reporting by OPB, those budget pressures and a complex permitting process have helped push some wholesale customers to look to their own local groundwater instead.
What Officials Are Doing
City crews have been flushing water mains to speed up the removal of the remaining chloraminated Bull Run water, and officials say most of that flushing tied to testing is already wrapped up. According to the City of Gresham, the utility plans to begin dialing back the chlorine dose entering the system as test results allow, though customers at the far edges of the network may not notice much change for several more weeks.
Residents who are still uneasy can contact the Water Resources division at 503-618-2525 or [email protected] to request sample results or additional information. The city says routine bacteriological testing and chlorine monitoring are ongoing, and that finished drinking water continues to meet state and federal standards.
