On December 13, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $319 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the city of Portland, Oregon.
The loan will support the construction of the new Bull Run Treatment Projects to meet federal and state safe drinking water standards and help protect public health of nearly 1 million residents.
According to a press release, this is the city’s second WIFIA loan, bringing total loans to over $1 billion for the Bull Run Treatment program.
"Thriving communities expect and depend on reliable drinking water,” said Wendi Wilkes, EPA director of infrastructure implementation for EPA Water, in a press release. “These two WIFIA loans mark the largest EPA contribution ever to a drinking water project, and an impressive step forward for the City of Portland as they ensure safe drinking water for their residents.”
With this funding, Portland will construct a new filtration facility and related pipelines from their Bull Run supply to filter out a pathogen called Cryptosporidium, before it goes to customers. In addition to removing Cryptosporidiumfrom the Bull Run water source, filtration will provide consistent, high-quality drinking water to meet today’s water quality standards, help address future risks and regulations and improve system resilience.
The projects will help create 6,100 jobs, and over $400 million will go to firms certified by the Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID). This highlights the City of Portland’s ongoing initiative to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion. The City of Portland’s Water Bureau invests in a job apprenticeship program that recruits individuals from diverse backgrounds and life experiences to learn trade skills and earn rewarding jobs throughout the bureau.
The construction contracts for the new filtration facility and pipelines will include Community Benefits Agreements that set workforce equity goals for people of color and women in the trades. The contracts also maximize opportunities for Disadvantaged, Minority-Owned, Women-Owned, Emerging Small Businesses, and Service-Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise contractors and subcontractors.
