City of Portland Water Bureau (Portland Water Bureau)
City of Portland and surrounding Portland Water Bureau service communities
Population reference
The Portland Water Bureau's official system page says the municipal water system delivers more than 30 billion gallons annually to about 840,000 people in Portland and surrounding areas. The system includes approximately 193,000 water meters, 2,250 miles of pipe, and more than 15,000 hydrants; the retail billing record here focuses on the City of Portland sewer, stormwater, and water account.
Billing detail
Broad public detail found
Official destination
Open provider website ↗Provider-specific findings
Billing and account research from public material
Provider-specific research notes are displayed separately from fields that contain only an unavailable-information marker. Read qualifiers in each note and verify current account terms with the provider.
- Billing frequency
- Residential water meters are read every three months, and the normal single-family account is billed quarterly. Customers may choose monthly statements, but the Water Bureau still calculates the base charge using the quarterly billing rate and divides the total charges across monthly statements. Bimonthly and monthly account schedules also exist, and the exact billing period and meter-read date are shown on the account statement.
- Rate structure
- Uniform water commodity rate plus daily base charge, sewer volume charge, property-based stormwater charge, stormwater service-unit charge, and a new Flood Safety Benefit Fee. For July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027, water is $8.833 per CCF, sewer for residential customers is $14.24 per CCF, and the base charge is $0.8906/day for quarterly accounts, $1.3358/day for bimonthly accounts, or $2.6717/day for monthly accounts. Stormwater is $14.739 per 1,000 square feet of billable area per 30 days plus $6.650 per service unit per 30 days. The rate page does not use seasonal water blocks or drought surcharges, but bills differ by cycle, property area, and customer class.
- Residential cost reference
- A typical single-family account using 5 CCF per month is estimated at approximately $160-$175 per month for water, sewer, base, stormwater, service-unit, and the new Flood Safety Benefit Fee under the July 2026 rate environment; the exact amount varies by stormwater billable-area category, billing cycle, and property. The City reports that the 2026 rate change increases a typical single-family bill by about $10.20 per month, or 6.36%. For 5,000-7,000 gallons, approximately 6.7-9.4 CCF, a practical total range is about $180-$235 per month before discounts, unusual fees, or solid-waste charges.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- Residential sewer volume is related to metered water use because most household water enters the sewer. Portland can calculate the sewer volume charge from actual water use, a winter average, or a class average; actual water use is measured during the winter billing period, while outdoor summer usage can be addressed through the winter-average method. The FY2026-27 residential sewer rate is $14.24 per CCF. Stormwater is calculated separately from developed/billable area and service units, and a Flood Safety Benefit Fee is a separate City pass-through charge rather than a sewer percentage.
- Meter reading
- Portland reports approximately 193,000 water meters and reads single-family residential meters every three months. The standard customer meter measures cubic feet, with one CCF equal to 748 gallons. The Water Bureau can issue an estimated bill when the meter cannot be read because of access, weather, a failed meter, or illegal bypass; estimates are based on past property usage. The public current pages do not promise universal hourly AMI transmission, but the Customer Self-Service portal provides up to three years of meter-reading, usage, and billing history for each account.
- New-account deposit
- The current Portland start/stop and payment pages do not publish a routine residential startup security deposit, credit-check waiver, or on-time refund schedule. Ordinary online service setup is performed through the Customer Self-Service site, by phone, or through the City service workflow. Development, fire-protection, and special water-service customers can face separate system-development or connection charges, but those are not ordinary residential account deposits; customers should confirm any unusual commercial requirement with Customer Service.
- Activation or transfer fee
- Customers can start, stop, or transfer Portland water, sewer, and related utility services through css.portlandoregon.gov, by calling 503-823-7770, or through the City's account workflow. The reviewed 2026 public fee schedule does not list a universal residential activation or transfer fee. Customers should provide the effective date, service address, ownership or occupancy information, and meter-access details; the base charge and any field-specific water service charges are governed by the rate ordinance rather than a stated account-name fee.
Context, not a score
How documentation coverage compares
This profile
100%
overview fields with research notes
Oregon
42%
records with any overview detail
National index
50%
records with any overview detail
Coverage measures what this directory documented. It does not measure service quality, affordability, or regulatory compliance.
Research record
Broad public detail found
7 of 7 fields in this section contain provider-specific public detail in dataset August 1, 2026.
Documented
100%
Primary verification routes
- City of Portland Water Bureau (Portland Water Bureau) public website ↗
Provider-controlled destination used to confirm current customer instructions.
- EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System ↗
Federal background on public water-system records and their limitations.