Residents protest Portland Water Bureau's filtration facility due to cost, environment - KATU

Residents protest Portland Water Bureau's filtration facility due to cost, environment

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — On Wednesday morning, a group of people gathered near the town of Boring to protest a new water filtration facility that the Portland Water Bureau is building.

KATU has been covering this filtration project since 2017 when the city first approved it.

The cost has only gone up since then. The facility is set to be completed by September of 2027.

The Oregon Health Authority is requiring the bureau to filter the water from the bull run watershed to deal with bacteria.

Today protesters raised several issues, and they say this facility is unnecessary and will cost taxpayers too much. They’re also concerned about tree removal.

“This project, right now they're approved to remove trees 363 trees. We live here, this is our rural community, we're opposed to that, we're opposed to the project. It’s being appealed to LUBA (Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals). Seven different organizations are part of that appeal, the land use approval appeal," Charlie Ciecko said.

Protesters also say the bureau doesn't have proper permits to be constructing this facility.

In a statement to KATU News, the water bureau said safety is their top priority. “We received the necessary tree removal permit from Multnomah County and plan to continue work as safely and efficiently as possible. We encourage the community to remember that work zones are in place to protect workers and the public.”