EPA ID OR4100657 · checked 16 Oct 2026
Portland tap water: what EPA testing found
Portland Water Bureau (EPA record: PORTLAND WATER BUREAU) serves 666,200 people in OR from surface water.
What the data shows
Treatment-technique violation (turbidity or filtration)
1 health-based violation since 2016, the latest starting 2017-12-18; 1 not yet marked returned to compliance.
What fits: These are treatment-technique rules for the plant (turbidity and filtration). The utility fixes them; follow its public notices, including any boil-water advisory.
Lead from home plumbing (not in this data)
UCMR 5 does not test for lead, and lead usually enters water from service lines and plumbing inside buildings. Your utility’s lead service line inventory says whether your address is served by a lead line.
What fits: Lead comes from lead service lines, solder and fixtures inside buildings, not usually from the treatment plant. Use a filter certified for lead reduction (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58) at the tap you drink from.
Certified — IAPMO listing, checked 16 Oct 2026- Brita Elite Replacement Filter, formerly Longlast+Pitcher filter · OB06
- Culligan with ZeroWater Technology 10 Cup PitcherPitcher filter · ZEROP10
- PUR PLUS Lead Reducing Pitcher & Dispenser Replacement FilterPitcher filter · PPF951K
- ZeroWater 5-Stage Replacement FilterPitcher filter · ZR-017
- Culligan Scout 2.25 Gallon Gravity Countertop System with MaxClear…Countertop dispenser · MCSP
- PUR Faucet Filtration System, VerticalFaucet-mount filter · FM-3333B
- PUR PLUS Faucet Filtration System – Horizontal, ChromeFaucet-mount filter · PFM400H
- AquaTru Classic Countertop Reverse Osmosis Water PurifierCountertop reverse osmosis · AT2000
- Aquasana Claryum Direct Connect Under Sink Water FilterUnder-sink filter · AQ-MF-1
- Culligan EZ-Change Under Sink Drinking Water Filtration SystemUnder-sink filter · US-EZ-4
- Waterdrop 800 GPD Tankless Reverse Osmosis System - Waterdrop G3P800Under-sink reverse osmosis · WD-G3P800
- Waterdrop G3P600 Reverse Osmosis System - Waterdrop G3P600Under-sink reverse osmosis · WD-G3P600
Brand says certified — not found in IAPMO’s listing; check NSF- LifeStraw Home 7-Cup Glass Water Filter PitcherPitcher filter · LSH7SPC101 · check NSF’s listing yourself
- Aquasana Clean Water MachineCountertop dispenser · AQ-CWM2-B · check NSF’s listing yourself
- Brita Elite Advanced Water Filter Faucet System with Brita…Faucet-mount filter · FF-100 · check NSF’s listing yourself
- Brita Hub Countertop Water Filter System with Brita Hub FilterCountertop filter · 87340 · check NSF’s listing yourself
- Aquasana Claryum 2-Stage Under Sink Water FilterUnder-sink filter · AQ-6200 · check NSF’s listing yourself
- Aquasana Claryum 3-Stage Max Flow Under Sink Water FilterUnder-sink filter · AQ-6300M · check NSF’s listing yourself
- Aquasana Claryum 3-Stage Under Sink Water FilterUnder-sink filter · AQ-6300 · check NSF’s listing yourself
- A. O. Smith High Efficiency Reverse Osmosis SystemUnder-sink reverse osmosis · AOS-HERO-CHR · check NSF’s listing yourself
- APEC Water Tankless RO System 4 Stage Water Filter, 1000 GPD Reverse…Under-sink reverse osmosis · ROTL-A1000 · check NSF’s listing yourself
- APEC Water Ultimate 5-Stage 90 GPD High Output Reverse Osmosis Water…Under-sink reverse osmosis · RO-90 · check NSF’s listing yourself
- Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis Water FilterUnder-sink reverse osmosis · AQ-SFRO2 · check NSF’s listing yourself
- Culligan Aquasential Smart Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water…Under-sink reverse osmosis · Aquasential Smart RO · check NSF’s listing yourself
- iSpring RCC7AK, NSF Certified 75 GPD, Alkaline 6-Stage Reverse…Under-sink reverse osmosis · RCC7AK · check NSF’s listing yourself
- Waterdrop X Series Reverse Osmosis System, X12Under-sink reverse osmosis · WD-X12 · check NSF’s listing yourself
NSF’s and WQA’s listings can’t be checked automatically; each product page also links to WQA’s.
PFAS and lithium (EPA UCMR 5)
180 results from 2 sampling points, 12 Feb 2024 to 12 Nov 2024. Averages count results below EPA’s reporting level as zero, as the PFAS rule does. Every number links to EPA’s UCMR 5 Data Finder (search PWSID OR4100657). Limits: EPA PFAS rule.
| Contaminant | Detected in | Highest result | Average | EPA limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFOA | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 ng/L | 4 ng/L |
| PFOS | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 ng/L | 4 ng/L |
| PFHxS | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 ng/L | 10 ng/L* |
| PFNA | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 ng/L | 10 ng/L* |
| HFPO-DA | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 ng/L | 10 ng/L* |
| Lithium | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 µg/L | none (screening level 10 µg/L) |
* PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA limits (and the PFAS hazard index) are in the rule, but EPA proposed on 20 May 2026 to rescind them; not final as of 16 Oct 2026. UCMR 5 results are screening data, not compliance results: compliance uses quarterly running averages from 2029. Source file: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data (dated 15 Oct 2026).
Health-based violations since 2016
| Period began | Contaminant or rule | Violation | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec 2017 | Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | Failure to Filter (SWTR) | – | Open |
Source: EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts and the ECHO report for OR4100657, retrieved 16 Oct 2026.
Hardness
0.6 grains per gallon (Bull Run, the main supply; the groundwater used at times is about 4.7 gpg, 2025), from the utility’s water report checked 16 Oct 2026. Size a softener for this water.
Places and ZIP codes served
Portland, Gresham, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley.
97030 97034 97035 97080 97086 97201 97202 97203 97204 97205 97206 97209 97210 97211 97212 97213 97214 97215 97216 97217 97218 97219 97220 97221 97222 97223 97225 97227 97229 97230 97231 97232 97233 97236 97239 97266
ZIP codes the system reported to EPA for UCMR 5; place names from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). A ZIP code can be split between systems.