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The city of Portland has received proposals from three contractors interested in building the Bull Run Filtration Plant, a water treatment facility – estimated to cost between $550 million and $650 million to construct.

A request for proposals for a construction manager/general contractor for the project drew submissions from Hoffman Construction, MWH-Kiewit Joint Venture of Hillsboro and Arizona-based Sundt Construction.

The facility will be constructed on a 90-acre area of unincorporated Multnomah County near the Gresham border. Granular media filtration will be used to daily treat between 145 million and 160 million gallons of water from the Bull Run watershed.

The project will include construction of an administration building, a clear well measuring up to 16 million gallons in volume, a mechanical dewatering facility and other support buildings. Earthwork could require exporting more than a million cubic yards of dirt.

Stantec Consulting Services Inc. is designing the filtration facility, and the city has hired Brown and Caldwell to provide program management and support services. The plant is the major component of the Bull Run Filtration Projects – an estimated $820 million effort that will also include construction of pipelines carrying raw and finished water into and out of the facility. The pipeline work will be designed and constructed under separate contracts.

The city earlier this year issued an RFP for design services on the pipeline portion of the project, and on April 20 issued an intent to negotiate and award to Jacobs Engineering Group.

The project is being carried out by the Portland Water Bureau at the direction of the Oregon Health Authority as a result of the presence of cryptosporidium in the Bull Run watershed. After multiple tests in 2017 revealed the presence of the pathogen, the OHA revoked the city’s variance from federal rules requiring treatment of cryptosporidium.

A compliance agreement between Portland and the OHA requires pilot plant results and preliminary planning to be completed by Nov. 30, 2020, submission of final construction plans and schedule by Oct. 31, 2022, and water delivery meeting OHA and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements by Sep. 30, 2027.

The RFP sought proposers with experience delivering large water or wastewater projects using the CM/GC method. The city of Portland’s Procurement Services division is currently in the process of evaluating proposals, and will likely conduct interviews during the selection process before issuing an intent to award, which is expected to occur next month.

Portland City Council last month agreed to enter a loan agreement with the EPA to provide up to $745 million of funding for the Bull Run Filtration Projects. The city’s Debt Management Division and the Water Bureau will seek to finalize terms and execute loan agreements this summer. The filtration facility has entered a two-year design phase, while planning for the pipelines is under way and will move to a design phase next year.