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Our Water Source
Oregon City's drinking water comes from the Clackamas River. Water from the Clackamas River is made safe to drink by conventional treatment at the South Fork Water Board (SFWB) Treatment Plant, located in the Park Place area of Oregon City. Oregon City purchases treated drinking water from SFWB and distributes it to Oregon City customers.
Visit SFWB's website to learn more about the treatment process: https://sfwbor.gov/
Source Water Assessment
The Clackamas River supplies high-quality drinking water to over 300,000 people, including those in Oregon City. In 2019, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) updated the Source Water Assessment for drinking water systems with intakes on the Clackamas River. The assessment identified natural and man-made potential sources of pollution that may impact drinking water from the Clackamas River. This updated Source Water Assessment identified over 3,000 potential sources of pollution for the lower Clackamas River intakes. Many of these potential sources of pollution pose a moderate to high risk to the drinking water supply
DRINKING WATER PROTECTION PLAN
In 2021, the Clackamas River Water Providers (CRWP), which Oregon City is a member of, completed a drinking water protection plan update for the Clackamas River. The purpose of this document is to provide the CRWP and its members with a road map of potential strategies and programs to continue to implement over the next decade to preserve the Clackamas River as a high-quality drinking water source and to minimize future drinking water treatment costs.
Drinking Water Source Protection Award
In November 2024, Oregon City received a Drinking Water Source Protection Award from Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This award acknowledges our drinking water source protection efforts.
To be eligible for this award, water systems must show substantial progress in implementing measures to protect their drinking water sources from contamination and have strategies in place to reduce the risk of contamination from one or more high- or moderate-risk land-use activities within the drinking water source area.
FOLLOW THE WATER CAMPAIGN
Follow the Water is the work of the Clean Rivers Coalition, a voluntary collaborative partnership of over 60 water organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington, including the City of Oregon City. We work together to bring you insights about water: the science, the stories, and the positive actions we can take-from diverse voices in our communities.
This new campaign is aimed at connecting people in the Pacific Northwest with their water and includes a three part series on the importance of this vital natural resource. Go to the Follow the Water Connect the Drops Campaign website to learn more and find additional resources.
Supporting low impact recreation on the Clackamas River
Through a State Drinking Water Source Protection grant received by the Clackamas River Water Providers (CRWP) we have been working with our recreation partners on the development of the online/mobile and interactive Clackamas Water Trail website.
The purpose of this new website is to highlight access points along the lower river, local amenities, and known river conditions and hazards. It will also differentiate private and public property, and sensitive fish and wildlife habitat areas that are not to be disturbed, as well as include information on how to be good river stewards and the importance of protecting our drinking water source.
See how you can enjoy the Clackamas River while being a good steward.
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