Hillsboro Water Department

06/12/2026

The 2026 Water Quality Report is now available! Each year, Hillsboro Water publishes a Water Quality Report to provide customers with important information about their drinking water.

Test results from January 1 – December 31, 2025, show Hillsboro Water continues to exceed all state and federal drinking water standards.

Check out this year’s report to learn more about water sample results, Hillsboro’s current and future drinking water sources, and how the water treatment process works. www.Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/WaterQualityReport

06/01/2026

The results are in! Hillsboro Water continues to exceed all state and federal drinking water standards.

Each year, Hillsboro Water publishes Water Quality Reports - also referred to as Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs) – to provide customers with important information about their drinking water.

This year’s report includes:
✅Water sample test results from January 1 – December 31, 2025.
✅An update on the Willamette Water Supply System
✅An in-depth look at the water treatment process
✅Customer resources and water conservation programs

Learn more about your drinking water in this year’s report at www.Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/WaterQualityReport.

05/19/2026

Water Main Flushing on SE Gerhard Drive Starts Today

The City of Hillsboro Water Department conducts Unidirectional Flushing (UDF) to help clean and remove sediments from water mains, ensure adequate water flow is available for firefighters, and maintain water quality for homes and businesses.

Starting May 19 and lasting approximately 2 weeks, we’ll be flushing water mains between SE Gerhard Dr, SE Smith Dr, SE Morgan Rd, and SE Minter Bridge Rd.

Access a full-size map and flushing schedule at www.Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/Flushing.

The City of Hillsboro Water Department performs conventional, automatic, and unidirectional flushing to maintain water quality and reliability, clean the more than 300 miles of water mains that deliver water to homes and businesses, and ensure adequate water flow is available for firefighters.

05/14/2026

Water wisely this summer with the Weekly Watering Number!

It’s free, available to all of our customers via text or email, and it's specific to the weather in your zip code.

Get ready for the watering season: https://regionalh2o.org/WWN

05/13/2026

Water Main Flushing for Water Quality on May 19

To continue providing clean and safe drinking water, the City of Hillsboro Water Department conducts Unidirectional Flushing (UDF) throughout the year. Starting May 19, and lasting approximately 2 weeks, we’ll be flushing water mains between SE Gerhard Dr, SE Smith Dr, SE Morgan Rd, and SE Minter Bridge Rd.

UDF helps clean and remove sediments from water mains, ensures adequate water flow is available for firefighters, and maintains water quality for homes and businesses.

Access a map and flushing schedule at www.Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/Flushing.

05/12/2026

Access Emergency Water Sources in Your Home
If you've already stored emergency water—great! But what if you need more, or didn't have time to prepare before disaster struck? Your home actually contains several hidden water sources that can keep you going during an emergency.

Your water heater can be a great backup source. Most water heaters hold 30-80 gallons of drinkable water. To access it safely, turn off the power/gas, let cool, drain it from the spigot at the bottom into clean containers.

Even after service stops, water remains in your home's plumbing. Turn on the highest faucet in your home (to let air in), then collect water from the lowest faucet. This can yield several gallons.

Don't overlook these options: Ice cubes in your freezer, liquid from canned fruits and vegetables, bottled drinks like juice, sports drinks, and other sealed beverages count toward your water needs.

Find more emergency preparedness tips at https://www.regionalh2o.org/emergency-preparedness.

05/05/2026

May 3–9 is Drinking Water Week, a celebration of everything drinking water does for our community.

Water is often called the “invisible utility” because most of the work to bring safe, reliable water to your tap is done behind the scenes. Even most of the infrastructure, like pipes and reservoirs, is hidden underground.

Along our water's journey from the Tualatin River to your tap, our staff are hard at work to make sure your drinking water is there when you need it. From testing water quality to maintaining water treatment infrastructure, we keep water flowing to over 93,000 customers in Hillsboro.

Learn more about your drinking water at www.Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/Water!

05/01/2026

Test Your Tap Today!

Hillsboro Water offers FREE lead-in-water tests for residential and nonprofit customers in our service area. Homes most at risk for lead in water are those generally built or plumbed between 1970 and 1985. Testing at the tap is the only way to know if the solder is leaching lead into drinking water.

Test your tap in three steps:
1️⃣Fill out the Lead-in-Water Test Request Form: https://www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/our-city/departments/water/lead-information/residents-and-nonprofit-organizations
2️⃣Pick up your testing kit from Hillsboro Water at 150 E Main St, 3rd Floor.
3️⃣Follow the testing instructions and return your samples to Hillsboro Water.

Every kit comes with tips to help prevent lead exposure in your drinking water. Visit www.Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/Lead for tips to prevent lead exposure in your drinking water.

04/15/2026

5 Preparedness Tips for Emergency Water Treatment

During emergencies like natural disasters, pipe breaks, or contamination events, your usual water supply might not be safe to use. If you're uncertain about water purity, don't risk it—treat it first. Here are five methods to make water safe for drinking, cooking, and hygiene:

1. Boiling: Bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute. This kills bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Let it cool before drinking. Boiling is your best option when you have access to heat.
2. Household Bleach: Add 1/8 teaspoon (or 8 drops) of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Stir and let it stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight chlorine smell—if not, repeat the dose and wait another 15 minutes.
3. Purification: Tablets or Iodine Portable and shelf-stable, these tablets are perfect for emergency kits. Follow package instructions carefully, as treatment time varies by product.
4. Personal Water Filters: Devices like LifeStraw or Sawyer filters remove bacteria and parasites on the go. Great for evacuation scenarios, but check if yours also removes viruses.
5. Distillation: Boil water and capture the steam in a clean container. This removes heavy metals, salts, and most contaminants, but it's slow and requires equipment.

Pro Tip: Stock your emergency kit with at least two treatment methods in case one isn't available. Even if you have stored water, knowing how to purify additional sources gives you flexibility during extended emergencies.

Find more water emergency resources at: https://www.regionalh2o.org/emergency-preparedness

03/25/2026

Our drinking water is in great shape for the summer!

As of March 3, Barney Reservoir has hit full capacity of 20,000 acre-feet. Each summer, when flow in the Tualatin River drops too low for municipal use, we release water from Barney and Scoggins (Hagg Lake) Reservoirs.

You may have noticed it felt like a dry winter in many parts of Oregon, but precipitation in our basin has been near average, and unlike some regions, our seasonal water supply isn't dependent on snowmelt. That means we have full reserves at both Barney and Scoggins heading into the warmer months.

The result? We're heading into summer with a full supply of stored water at both reservoirs, ready to provide safe and reliable drinking water to our customers all season long.