Willamette Water Supply Program

Project Description

The Willamette Water Supply System will be jointly implemented by the Tualatin Valley Water District and the City of Hillsboro to provide both areas additional resilient water supply capacity. Phase 1 will include intake facilities, over 30 miles of pipes, a water treatment plant, and two storage reservoirs to serve 400,000 residents and businesses in Washington County. The $1.3 billion system is being built to the highest seismic safety standard to recover quickly after a major earthquake. The investments in the system will provide reliable, quality drinking water for generations to come, and during construction the program is providing fuel for the local economy.

Project Benefits

• Accommodates current and future populations’ needs in both areas. TVWD will initially receive 40 MGD of water and ultimately 59.1 MGD of water and COH will initially receive 15 million gallons per day (MGD) of water and ultimately 36.2 MGD of water.
• Provides a reliable water supply that is resilient against natural threats from earthquakes.
• Uses state-of-the-art treatment processes to protect public health from emerging water quality issues.
• Saves TVWD’s ratepayers $138.4 million and COH’s ratepayers $125.5 million from financing the joint project with WIFIA loans compared to a bond issuances.
• Re-execution of the WIFIA loans in 2020 saves TVWD’s ratepayers an additional $122 million and COH’s ratepayers an additional $50 million.

• Tualatin Valley Water District and City of Hillsboro (Beaverton and Hillsboro, Oregon) (pdf) (258.75 KB)