# Portland, OR — Drinking Water Quality (2024)

> Contaminant levels for the Portland, OR public water system from its 2024 Consumer Confidence Report, compared to federal limits.

- Page: https://www.thewatermap.com/water/or/portland/2024
- JSON API: https://www.thewatermap.com/api/water/or/portland/2024
- Source: the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)
- Verification: transcribed by a model, cross-checked by a second model, approved before publishing
- Reporting year: 2024
- Contaminants measured: 16
- Contaminants with a federal limit: 7
- Contaminants at or above the federal limit: 0
- Part of The Water Map — https://www.thewatermap.com

## Contaminants measured

| Contaminant | Category | Measured level | Sampling context | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorine | Disinfectants | 0.38–2.53 mg/L (Reported level) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| HAA5 | Disinfection byproducts | 14.2–33.7 ug/L (Reported level) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| TTHM | Disinfection byproducts | 16.8–41 ug/L (Reported level) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Fluoride | Inorganic chemicals | 0–0.09 mg/L (Reported level) | System-wide | 4 mg/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Nitrate | Inorganic chemicals | 0–0.31 mg/L (Reported level) | System-wide | 10 mg/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Arsenic | Metals | 0–1.1 ug/L (Reported level) | System-wide | 10 ug/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Barium | Metals | 0.0008–0.01 mg/L (Reported level) | System-wide | 2 mg/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Copper | Metals | 0.14 mg/L (90th percentile) | At the tap | 1.3 mg/L (Action level) | Within the limit |
| Lead | Metals | 4.4 ug/L (90th percentile) | At the tap | 15 ug/L (Action level) | Within the limit |
| Manganese | Metals | 20.4 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Sodium | Metals | 12 mg/L (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Escherichia coli (E. coli) | Microbial | 0–26 (Reported level) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Giardia lamblia | Microbial | 0–0.04 (Reported level) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Total Coliform | Microbial | 0.6 % (Reported level) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Turbidity | Physical & aggregate | 0.22–1.65 NTU (Reported level) | System-wide | 5 NTU (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Radon | Radionuclides | 152.2 pCi/L (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |

## What these contaminants are

- **Chlorine** — A disinfectant added to drinking water to kill bacteria and viruses. Effective and necessary, but high residual levels can cause taste and odor issues; the EPA caps the residual disinfectant level.
- **HAA5** — Haloacetic acids — a group of five disinfection byproducts formed when disinfectants react with organic matter. Long-term exposure above the federal limit is associated with an increased cancer risk.
- **TTHM** — Total trihalomethanes — a group of four chemicals (including chloroform) formed when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter. Long-term exposure above the federal limit is linked to liver, kidney, and central-nervous-system effects and increased cancer risk.
- **Fluoride** — A mineral often added to drinking water to help prevent tooth decay. Beneficial at low levels, but long-term exposure above the federal limit can cause bone disease and tooth mottling.
- **Nitrate** — A compound from fertilizer runoff, septic systems, and erosion of natural deposits. Levels above the federal limit can cause 'blue baby syndrome,' a serious oxygen-transport condition in infants.
- **Arsenic** — A naturally occurring element that also enters water from industry and agriculture. A known human carcinogen; long-term exposure is linked to skin, bladder, and lung cancer.
- **Barium** — A metal from erosion of natural deposits and industrial discharge. Long-term exposure above the federal limit can raise blood pressure.
- **Copper** — A metal that enters water from corroding household plumbing. Short-term exposure causes stomach distress; long-term exposure can damage the liver and kidneys.
- **Lead** — A toxic metal that leaches into water from old service lines, solder, and plumbing fixtures. There is no safe level of lead; it harms brain development in children and raises blood pressure in adults. The EPA sets an action level, not a health goal above zero.
- **Manganese** — A naturally occurring metal from soil and rock. No enforceable federal limit; high levels stain fixtures and laundry and can affect taste, with a health advisory for infants.
- **Sodium** — A naturally occurring salt component. Not federally regulated for health; relevant for people on sodium-restricted diets.
- **Escherichia coli (E. coli)** — Escherichia coli — bacteria found in the gut of humans and animals. Its presence in drinking water indicates fecal contamination and a real risk of waterborne illness.
- **Total Coliform** — A group of bacteria used as an indicator of overall water-system sanitation. Coliforms themselves are usually harmless, but their presence signals that disease-causing organisms could enter the system.
- **Turbidity** — A measure of cloudiness from suspended particles in the water. High turbidity can shelter microbes from disinfection; the EPA enforces it through a treatment-technique standard.
- **Radon** — A naturally occurring radioactive gas that can dissolve into groundwater. No enforceable federal limit in drinking water yet; inhalation of released radon raises lung-cancer risk.

## How to read this

- A water-quality report covers an entire service area, not a single address.
- 'Federal limit' is the EPA standard (MCL, action level, treatment technique, etc.) that the measured level is compared against.
- 'At or above the federal limit' means the utility's own reported figure met or exceeded that standard.

_Figures are the utility's own published numbers. Generated 2026-05-25 from thewatermap.com._