Each year, Portland Water Bureau (PWB) provides the Drinking Water Quality Report to its customers. The report is required by the State and EPA and contains important information about Portland’s drinking water and water system.
The 2021 Drinking Water Quality Report contains results from the 2020 calendar year and can be found at bit.ly/PDX2021Water or requested in hard copy version by calling 503.823.9444.
The Report includes test results of the 200+ regulated contaminants PWB detected in 2020. The regulated contaminant list for water provided by public water systems is developed by the Environmental Protection Agency. If a known, health-related contaminant is not listed in the report it was because it was not detected by the PWB.
PWB is responsible for providing high-quality drinking water, but it cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components in homes or buildings.
Lead enters drinking water from the corrosion of household plumbing materials containing lead, including lead-based solder used to join copper pipe, commonly used in homes built or plumbed between 1970 and 1985 and brass components and faucets installed before 2014.
Lead in drinking water at elevated levels can cause serious health problems, especially for those who are pregnant and young children.
The potential for lead exposure from water Portland metro area sitting in pipes for several hours, overnight or while people are away at work or school, can be minimized by flushing the tap for 30 seconds to two minutes before using it for drinking or cooking.
Concerned about your water? Free lead-in-water test kits can be ordered from the LeadLine at 503.988.4000 or bit.ly/OrderLeadTestKit.