Construction halted on $2 billion Bull Run water treatment plant

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Construction has officially been paused on the Portland Water Bureau’s controversial $2 billion treatment plant to filter Bull Run water, the City of Portland announced Friday.

All of this comes after Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) issued a ruling on Jan. 22, stating Multnomah County officials failed to determine whether the massive facility located near Boring would adversely impact the rural area’s natural resources when it granted the city a conditional land-use permit in late 2023.

The project has also faced continuous opposition from nearby residents and businesses in East Gresham who appealed the county’s original decision of the permit.

“We’re not making more land, it’s a big blow to it,” said Jesse Nelson with the Oregon Association of Nurseries. “And it’s impacting a whole lot of nurseries out here”

After LUBA’s ruling, the agency ordered the conditional land-use application back to Multnomah County for further review and those involved had 21 days to appeal.

But since no appeals were filed, the decision was “remanded” to the county and the Water Bureau paused construction on the project.

The County now has 120 days to resubmit the permit, reassessing how the construction would affect the area’s natural resources.

KOIN 6 has reached out to Portland Water Bureau for comment. This story will be updated when we hear back.