Oregon leaders celebrate investments toward Willamette Water Supply System

The pipeline to a sustainable water future is becoming clearer for the cities of Beaverton and Hillsboro.

U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Andrea Salinas visited the Willamette Water Supply System treatment plant in Sherwood Thursday, Aug. 29, joining local leaders to spotlight investments in drinking water infrastructure for Washington County.

The $1.6 billion Willamette Water Supply System is a collaborative effort between the Tualatin Valley Water District (TVWD) and the cities of Hillsboro and Beaverton, aimed at delivering water from the Willamette River.

“When completed in mid-2026, the system will be capable of delivering up to 60 million gallons a day,” said Todd Sanders, Tualatin Valley Water District commissioner, during the ceremony.

The project will draw water from the Willamette River in Wilsonville and treat it at the Sherwood plant, ensuring a reliable drinking water supply for Washington County communities.

According to the district, the Willamette River was selected as the future water source after a “multi-year technical study and public input,” showing it would have lower costs, improved water quality and fewer environmental impacts.

Bonamici, who helped direct $3 million in federal Community Project funds toward the initiative, emphasized the program’s role in enhancing water access for residents across county.

“There are diverse communities — urban, suburban, rural —and each faces unique infrastructure challenges, particularly when it comes to covering project costs,” Bonamici said. “These projects are vital but can heavily burden ratepayers, especially in smaller and rural communities. Regional, state and federal governments need to collaborate, and this project is a prime example of how partnerships can improve water quality and reduce costs for residents.”

Salinas, along with Bonamici, secured a $50 million authorization for the system through the 2024 Water Resource Development Act. The sixth congressional district representative addressed how the project helps mitigate the precarity of environmental impacts on local communities. While increasing the region’s water supply, the system also focuses on enhancing seismic resilience, ensuring that residents and businesses maintain access to water during critical moments.

“Access to clean and safe drinking water is one of our most basic needs, yet it’s often taken for granted,” Salinas said. “Aging infrastructure, deferred maintenance and the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the urgency of protecting this vital resource to ensure it’s available for generations to come.”

Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty also spoke to how the investment extends beyond water access, spotlighting its importance amid the state’s housing crisis.

“The Willamette water supply will set the stage for Beaverton to meet our housing goals. The state has a lofty goal for housing development; housing development isn't possible if you don't have water and sewer to support that,” Beaty said. “You know, we hear a lot from our state that we need to have more housing. There's not a lot of money in the pot for us to do the infrastructure — we need it.”

Though the project has been underway for the past decade, Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway noted its far-reaching impact.

“It is amazing when you think about how long it will take, and yet the benefit will last even longer — a multi-generational impact on quality of life, on the economy,” Callaway said. “I love that my kids and grandkids live close by; I love that this will give my grandkids the opportunity to stay close to home too as they grow into adulthood.”

Sherwood already has its own water system, but the city offers a unique opportunity for the plant to support the integrity of the system, according Mayor Tim Rosener.

“This is very difficult land to develop — if you want to put an industrial site in like this, it's very expensive because you're literally blasting rock. Those very reasons are the same reasons they're building this plant here, because it's very seismically resilient,” Rosener said. “We will have an emergency interconnect so it creates some resilience for the city of Sherwood, but more importantly, this is one puzzle piece.”

A long-term investment

In addition to a new water treatment plant in Sherwood, water storage tanks in Beaverton and modifications to water intake at Wilsonville’s Willamette River Water Treatment Plant, more than 30 miles of underground pipeline will be installed when the project is complete in July of 2026.

“We've got a lot of work between then to get everything commissioned and started up, and then we're going to be needing to introduce water into our systems and flushing it,” explained TVWD Chief Executive Officer Paul Matthews.

While federal funds cover part of the costs, the bulk of the funding comes from TVWD customers. Last year, the water district increased its rates to generate revenue consistent with its 2023-25 budget, which will see major allocations to the new system.

“The infrastructure and the pipelines that connect all of our 100-year assets are going to be around for quite some time, and it does take initial investment to build them,” Matthews said.