Portland, Oregon – The Portland Water Bureau has ordered an immediate halt to construction at the $2.1 billion Bull Run Filtration Project, following an adverse land-use ruling that raises concerns over natural resource considerations.

The decision comes after the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA), in January, sent the case back to Multnomah County, stating that the county had failed to fully account for environmental impacts when approving the project. In response, the Water Bureau paused all construction activities on Friday.

Uncertainty Surrounding Construction Timeline

Officials have not provided a timeline for when work may resume.

“There are many unknowns at this time – including the duration of the pause – but we’ll be working with the county and LUBA to better understand the timeline and project impacts in coming days and weeks,” Water Bureau spokeswoman Felicia Heaton stated in an email Friday.

The delay comes as the city faces a strict compliance deadline. The Oregon Health Authority has mandated that Portland supply filtered drinking water to residents by September 30, 2027, a requirement set after the 2017 discovery of cryptosporidium, a parasite found in Portland’s water supply.

Concerns Over Delays and Rising Costs

City officials warned that construction delays could have significant consequences, both financially and in meeting the public health deadline.

“While we respect the land use process and will fully comply with the remand, every day of delay drives up construction costs and increases the risk of missing our public health compliance deadline — challenges that directly impact our communities, businesses and ratepayers,” said Priya Dhanapal, Portland’s deputy city administrator for public works, in a news release.

Mayor Stresses Importance of the Project

Mayor Keith Wilson reiterated the project’s importance, stating that the city remains committed to working through the land-use concerns and resuming construction.

“The project is the right thing to do to protect public health,” Wilson said in a statement Friday.

“We will continue to participate faithfully in the land use process and look forward to addressing the issues on remand so we can get back to building this critical project as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible,” he added.

‍Impact on Construction Workforce

The project, being developed by a joint venture between MWH Constructors and Kiewit Corp., had only broken ground in June 2024 in a rural area of east Multnomah County near the Clackamas County line.

Workers at the site were notified of the suspension via text messages, stating that “construction is temporarily suspended until further notice.”

For now, non-manual staff have been advised to report to work on Monday to assist in navigating the next steps, while craft employees were instructed not to report to work from Saturday through Tuesday. Some essential construction tasks will continue, with affected employees receiving direct updates from their employers.

“We are sorry for this unplanned disruption of your good work and will inform you of the next steps when given guidance by the Portland Water Bureau,” another message to workers stated.

Next Steps

As the city works through legal and environmental hurdles, officials are expected to hold discussions with Multnomah County and state regulators to determine how best to move forward without jeopardizing the 2027 compliance deadline.

Further updates are expected in the coming weeks as the city navigates the regulatory challenges tied to one of its most critical infrastructure projects.

Originally reported by Chuck Slothower in DJC Oregon.