The under-construction Bull Run water filtration plant has received recognition for its environmental performance by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.

The nonprofit industry group gave the Bull Run project its highest honor — the Envision Platinum Award — for the project’s “comprehensive approach to sustainability and resilience throughout project planning, design and construction.”

Bull Run is expected to become operational in 2029, delivering filtered water to nearly 1 million customers in Portland and the surrounding area.

“This recognition reflects the care, collaboration, and long-term thinking behind the Bull Run filtration project, one of the most significant infrastructure investments in Portland’s history,” Deputy City Administrator for Public Works Priya Dhanapal stated in a news release. “It protects public health, strengthens system resilience and ensures safe, reliable drinking water for Portlanders for generations.”

Under way in rural southeast Multnomah County, the massive water project is expected to cost $2.56 billion. Crews led by a joint venture of MWH Constructors and Kiewit Corp. broke ground in June 2024. They were forced to halt construction for a year while project opponents appealed to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals. Construction resumed in February.

The institute commended the project’s use of gravity-fed water conveyance, which reduces energy use and improves reliability compared to pumping; engaging community input, supporting minority-owned, woman-owned and disadvantaged contractors; and protecting sensitive wetlands and native plants.

Bull Run “demonstrates the city of Portland’s commitment to building a facility that delivers clean, safe, reliable drinking water while also strengthening environmental resilience and sustainability,” Mayor Keith Wilson stated.

The institute, based in Washington, D.C., was founded in 2010 by the American Public Works Association, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Council of Engineering Companies.

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