Water Resources - Clean Water Services

Water Releases Make Tualatin River a Year-Round Resource

The arrival of warm and dry weather and a hot forecast ahead prompted Clean Water Services to begin releasing cool water on May 31, 2023.

An aerial view of where water is released from Scoggins Dam. Part of Hagg Lake is visible on the left, with trees and hills in the background.

Public Works: Connecting Communities Worldwide

How often do you consider where water (and everything you flush along with it) goes after you “go,” or where it flows when it falls as rain, melts as snow, or runs down your driveway from a hose?

Workers fill a trench in the street where pipe work was completed. A piece of heavy machinery, houses, and cars are in the background.

Practical, Proactive, People-Centered: Our Blessedly Boring Budget

Drama and excitement can be fun, but not when it comes to budget and rates planning. You want to know the folks tasked with tackling our region’s long-term water challenges are being as clear-eyed and careful with your hard-earned rate dollars as they are when protecting public health and the environment.

An Aerial view of Butternut Creek, a tributary to the Tualatin River, with heavy vegetation along the banks of the creek and houses backing up to the water.

From Unthinkable to Almost Drinkable

Do you wonder what happens to that water after you send it down the drain? Eventually, Washington County’s water ends up back in the Tualatin River, but it goes through quite a process to get there.

A group of people on the catwalk above a primary clarifier at A CWS Water Resource Recovery Facility.

Wapato Lake: A Wetland Restored, and Now a Refuge

Years of Working in Partnership Pays Off at Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Wapato Lake, viewed from above, showing vibrant colors of green and blues

Rain to Drain to River

Your actions, no matter how small, can impact the life cycle of the salmon, and the overall health of the watershed.

Give Thanks for Your Toilet

Have you thought about what it would be like to live without toilets? According to the WHO and CDC, about 3.6 billion people don’t have access to safely managed sanitation in their home. Inadequate sanitation systems spread human waste into rivers, lakes, and soil — contaminating the water resources under our feet.