Last year, three lucky Water Bureau AutoPay customers were chosen at random to each win a brand new iPad 4 Mini. Our three and a half month long AutoPay iPad promotion was our way of rewarding current AutoPay customers and getting the word out about the benefits of signing up for AutoPay.

And now the contest results are in. The winners have been named!

Congratulations to Patrick, Katherine and Windy of Northeast Portland! We hope you enjoy your new iPad Minis along with the hassle-free convenience of AutoPay.

Left: Windy stops by the Water Bureau offices to pick up her iPad. Right: Customer Service representative Anna holds up the iPads that were given away.

 “Our customers are very clear about how important AutoPay is to them,” says Kathy Koch, Customer Service Director. “They expect it and appreciate it. It’s a convenience they don’t want to live without.”

Join Windy, Patrick, Katherine and 38,000 Other Water Bureau AutoPayers

With AutoPay, you can have your sewer, stormwater, and water bill auto-deducted from your checking account, debit card, or credit card. That’s right: Automagically.

AutoPay saves you time (hello, not having to write checks or log online!) and takes less than 5 minutes to sign up.

Plus, there’s no commitment and canceling is easy. There’s nothing to lose.

Give it a try. Sign up today!

When times are tough, everyone can use a helping hand.

Are you having trouble paying your sewer, stormwater, and water bill?

If so, applying for the Water Bureau’s Financial Assistance program just got a little bit easier.

That’s because we added an online Financial Assistance application alongside the traditional paper forms. This means you can complete an assistance application at home or wherever you have access to a computer.

“This is going to make it a lot easier for customers to apply for bill pay assistance,” says Customer Service Center Manager Corbett White. “It’s a game changer.”

How We’re Helping Customers in Need

The Water Bureau’s Financial Assistance program is just one of several ways customers can get help reducing their utility bill.

How can Water Bureau customers qualify for financial assistance? There are income eligibility requirements, and customers need to be responsible for paying a City of Portland single family residential sewer, stormwater, and water bill. Applicants also need to live at the property for which they are paying.

Apply for Financial Assistance Online

The new online application system eliminates a lot of the work involved in the old process, which included printed paper forms and sending information via snail mail.

Now, customers that quality for the assistance program can go online to the Water Bureau website and submit an online application form, including income documentation. Each application is sent securely to the Water Bureau’s bill discount program specialist, who will get in touch with you to walk you through the process.

Need help with filling out your application?

Make an appointment with the Community Service Center in your area, or visit the Bill Discount program page for more information about how you may qualify for various financial assistance programs.

UPDATE 3/11/2018 at 4:00 p.m.: Upgrades are now complete. All payment systems are back online.

Our Customer Service Call Center and Walk-In Center will be closed at 11 am this Friday, March 9 due to scheduled system maintenance that will continue over the weekend. Online and pay-by-phone services will be unavailable during this time.

Customer Service offices will reopen at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 12.

How to Pay Your Bill in Person

In person payments can be made by depositing your check or money order in the secure night box located at 111 SW Columbia St. at the corner of SW 1st Ave. and SW Columbia St.

Thank you for your patience and understanding!

You're invited to to volunteer alongside the Friends of Powell Butte Nature Park, Hands On Greater Portland, and Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) to perform trail maintenance and habitat restoration work at Powell Butte Nature Park. Anyone over the age of 14 is welcome, and no experience is necessary!

Additional information and what you can expect at this volunteer-powered event is available on the Hands on Portland website.

What to Wear and Bring

Volunteers are encouraged to wear long thick pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and sturdy shoes.

Bring a backpack, water bottle, and rain gear. Instructions, tools, gloves, water, and small snacks will be provided. Volunteers will be walking up to five miles during the event.

Questions?

For more information, contact PP&R Stewardship Coordinator Susan Hawes at 503-823-6131 or by e-mail. 

Date: Saturday, April 14
Time: 9 a.m. to noon
RSVP: Click here

The Portland Water Bureau’s award-winning Lead Hazard Reduction Program (LHRP) provides education, outreach, testing, and remediation to those at high risk for lead exposure by providing grants to local agencies and non-profits that are experienced in lead education.

The LHRP doesn’t just focus on hazards from lead in water but all hazards posed by lead. In Portland, the most common source of lead exposure is from lead-based paint. The program targets those most at risk for lead poisoning, children under six and pregnant people, by providing resources to reduce lead hazards in homes, free blood lead testing, and community education and outreach regarding lead hazards.

The LHRP was developed in coordination with state and local public health agencies to comply with the federal Lead and Copper Rule.

Apply for a Lead Hazard Reduction Grant

Community organizations and governmental agencies that conduct lead hazard reduction education and outreach services in the Portland area are encouraged to apply for a 2018-19 Portland Water Bureau Lead Hazard Reduction Program grant.

If your organization has identified a need for lead hazard reduction in your community and has ideas for addressing that need, please consider submitting an application.

The application is available online.

Application Deadline

Applications are due to the Lead Hazard Reduction Program by Friday, March 30, 2018, at 5:00 p.m. If you have any questions, please contact the Lead Hazard Reduction Program at (503) 823-1547.

Sarah Messier
Water Quality