Large main break causes discolored water, floods Northwest Portland street

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Portland Water Bureau was flooded with calls late Saturday morning after a large water main break caused discolored water in Northwest Portland late Saturday morning.

The break happened at around 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of Northwest 29th and Northwest 31st Avenues just off of Northwest Yeon Avenue.

The Water Bureau said residents throughout Northwest Portland and some of Southwest Portland reported seeing the discolored water coming from their faucets as a result.

Additionally, around 15 properties are completely without water service and a boil water notice was issued to them.

While the bureau acknowledged the water is treated, it is not filtered. This means sediment and other organic material from the Bull Run Watershed gets into the city’s drinking water system, but it settles on the bottom of the water mains. However, people may see discolored water when the sediment is stirred up during a main break.

Given this, the bureau recommends those observing discolored water rely on their emergency water supply or bottled water at this time.

“And we recommend that every hour or two, run your tap for 30 seconds, see if it clears up,” said the bureau’s Maintenance and Construction Director Ty Kovatch. “If it doesn’t, then we’re still waiting for the sediment to settle out in the system.”

Kovatch added the section that broke was a 20-foot stretch of cast-iron pipe, measuring 16 inches in diameter and installed in 1949. He noted that any number of factors could have caused the break, including pipe age and soil conditions.

Nonetheless, given the extent of the damage, he said crews will be working on repairs late into Saturday night.

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