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The Portland Water Bureau has completed upgrades to its Lusted Hill treatment facility intended to reduce lead exposure in home drinking water.

With the improvements, the system now uses sodium carbonate and carbon dioxide to increase the pH and alkalinity of Bull Run water, making it less corrosive to lead and other metals found in some home and building plumbing.

MWH Constructors served as general contractor for the project. The upgraded treatment system came online last week.

The project team exceeded equity contracting goals, according to the Water Bureau. More than $4 million, or approximately 55 percent of the project’s hard construction costs, was subcontracted to firms certified by Oregon’s Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID); the city’s goal was 22 percent.

More than 11,000 work hours were performed by minority or women apprentices and journey-level tradespeople; that participation percentage exceeded the city’s goal of 31 percent, the Water Bureau stated.

One percent of the contract dollars will be invested in the city’s Community Opportunities and Enhancement Program that provides grants to increase diversity of construction industry business owners and tradespeople in Portland.

鈥淭丑别 Improved Corrosion Control Treatment Facility is our strongest tool yet to make drinking water safer for everyone, regardless of the plumbing inside their home, school and building,鈥� Water Bureau Director Gabriel Solmer stated in a news release. 鈥淚 am proud of our dedicated water quality and operations teams who have honored our commitment to the community.鈥�

The project was financed in part by a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That money helped maintain affordable water rates, the bureau stated.

The Water Bureau is planning to build a new plant to filter cryptosporidium, a harmful microorganism. Construction is expected to begin next year. The plant must be online by Sept. 30, 2027, to comply with state and federal rules.