On April 8, 2025, the CWS Board of Directors unanimously passed a Resolution and Order directing CWS to take concrete steps to address legitimate concerns raised about transparency and accountability at Clean Water Services (CWS). On this page, we will continuously report on our progress to meet and go beyond those orders as we work to rebuild public trust through increased transparency and clarity about the services we provide, how we utilize ratepayer funds, and how we protect the over $1.5 billion in sewer and stormwater infrastructure that belongs to our community. You’ll find some answers on this page as well as on our Frequently Asked Questions page, and we’re working on additional ways to make this kind of information more accessible.
The Basics
What Clean Water Services is: A sewer and stormwater utility primarily funded by some of the lowest rates for those services in the region. To offset some of the dependence on ratepayer dollars, CWS also generates about $16 million annually in non-rate revenue for activities such as fees for septic disposal and disposal of fats, oils, and grease; fertilizer sales; reimbursement from developers; and investment income.
What Clean Water Services is not: CWS is not funded by taxes and is not a drinking water provider. CWS customers receive their drinking water from and pay water rates to their city or Tualatin Valley Water District.
What’s Being Done
The CWS Board of Director’s Resolution and Order (R&O) includes directives and deadlines to audit travel and meal expenditures, review and update policies and plans, restrict executive spending, evaluate insurance, and require training.
- The CWS Travel and Training Policy has been revised and went into effect May 1, 2025. In response to the first R&O deadline, the revised CWS policy includes new restrictions and requirements on travel and training requests, airline travel, lodging, and meals reimbursement.
- On November 18, 2025, the CWS Board issued Resolution & Order 25-22 directing re-domestication of the captive, Clean Water Insurance Company, from Hawaii to Arizona. This followed a third-party review that determined that Arizona is currently the most favored domicile.
- The CWS Finance department has conducted a comprehensive review of the executive management team’s expenses, and now issues monthly reports to the General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, and quarterly reports to the CWS Board.
- All executive management team members have returned purchasing credit cards.
- In response to a request from Clean Water Services on behalf of the Board of Directors and consistent with CWS R&O No. 25-5 (April 8, 2025), the Board of Clean Water Insurance Company, LLC adopted a new Travel & Reimbursement Policy Travel & Reimbursement Policy by unanimous written consent.
- In response to the CWS Board of Directors, Clean Water Insurance Company, LLC provided travel reimbursement information, which CWS released in response to public records requests.
- In response to the CWS Board of Directors, CWIC provided the CWIC Board member travel reimbursement information, which CWS is releasing in response to public records requests.
- An independent external consultant has begun a financial and performance forensic investigation of CWS travel and meals covering the last three years. Once completed, the investigation report will be publicly available.
- CWS has reviewed and revised the Meals and Refreshment Policy.
- CWS evaluated the employee travel approval process, developed written guidelines on allowable travel and training, and reported back findings to the Board.
- CWS staff have received training on spending and on the Travel and Training policy, covering what is required by federal and state law, as well as by CWS policy. Executive management team members were among the first to complete the training.
- CWS has launched a confidential employee hotline to allow CWS employees to anonymously communicate concerns or feedback to the CWS Board of Directors.
In addition to the R&O actions, CWS has created a new CWS Audit Committee. This committee of community members and one Board member. serves as a liaison between the CWS Board of Directors, the independent external auditor, and management. The CWS Audit Committee’s duties relate to financial accounting, reporting, and internal controls and compliance.
What You Can Do
- If your bill seems unusually high, you may have a leak and may be eligible for a bill adjustment once you detect and fix it. Contact the CWS billing department and your drinking water provider to discuss your bill and your options.
- Explore opportunities to hear from or apply to serve on the Clean Water Services Audit Committee or Clean Water Services Advisory Commission.
- Visit our Resources page to learn how you can help protect the infrastructure you pay for and the health of the waterways that are key to a thriving and livable community.
- Connect with CWS leadership by emailing cwsboard@cleanwaterservices.org.
What We Do
Clean Water Services (CWS) is a county service district organized under Oregon Revised Statute 451. CWS works with Washington County and 12 partner cities to provide sewer and stormwater services in the urban areas of the Tualatin River Watershed. The CWS Board of Directors is made up of elected officials who also serve as Washington County Commissioners.
Every year, CWS cleans more than 24 billion gallons of Washington County’s used water to near drinking water standards before returning most of the water to the Tualatin River. Because the Tualatin River is so small, slow, and sensitive, CWS operates under some of the most stringent water quality standards and innovative management techniques in the nation. Those standards are set in a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.
As other utilities have steeply increased rates in recent years, CWS’ annual rate increases have remained steady, at about 4% for the average customer. This is despite having to meet some of the strictest environmental regulations in the U.S., and despite substantial increases in the costs of chemicals, construction materials, and labor.
CWS sewer charges pay for sewer pipes, maintenance and construction, and operation of the wastewater treatment plants as well as for the costs associated with the treatment. Those systems need to be in place and maintained to protect public health no matter how much used water you flush or send down the drain. CWS and partner city crews are also responsible for the public drainage system.
The Clean Water Insurance Company, LLC is one way that CWS helps to protect ratepayers’ investment in this system, worth over $1.5 billion for the sewer and stormwater infrastructure. Learn more about this nonprofit captive insurance company on our FAQs page.
Protecting public health and the environment in the uniquely challenging Tualatin River Watershed requires highly trained and dedicated employees who are able to provide essential services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It also requires a lot of careful long-term planning, groundbreaking scientific research, connection with the global water sector to help move innovation forward, and extensive and expensive infrastructure.
Key Resources
CWS Board Resolution & Order
Recent Media Coverage FAQs
CWS Board Names Rick Shanley Acting CEO/General Manager
Rates & Billing
Clean Water Services Audit Committee
CWS Board of Directors
CWS Executive Leadership
Who & Where We Serve
A First-in-the-Nation Approach to Protecting Our Water
A Leader in Water
Clean Water Services At-a-Glance