Portland Bureau of Environmental Services

06/12/2026

06/01/2026

05/27/2026

05/21/2026

Summer is back. So Is Check the Rec!

From late May through September, we test water quality weekly at five popular Willamette River recreation locations and share the results every Friday.

The first results of the season will be posted on May 22.

If you're planning to recreate on the Willamette River this summer, Check the Rec.

Learn more about how Check the Rec came to be at https://www.portland.gov/bes/news/2026/5/20/willamette-river-recreation-season-back-so-check-rec

05/21/2026

For father and son duo, Lannie and Levi, Public Works is the family business. Lannie, a Maintenance Supervisor for PBOTs sewer cleaning team, brought his son Levi to one of PBOT’s “Take Your Kid to Work Day” events in 2011. Now, 15 years later, Levi works as an Operations Specialist at the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) treatment plant.

“You just never know the impact that day might make,” says Lannie. This week we're celebrating Public Works Week alongside the Portland Water Bureau, Portland Parks & Recreation, and Bureau of Environmental Services. Stories like this remind us why we do this work!

04/22/2026

Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. visited Portland's Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant to see firsthand how $1,092,000 in federal Community Project Funding will support Portland’s wastewater system.

The funding championed by the Congresswoman will help replace aging digester mixers, repair kits, and purchase portable generators for pump stations to help maintain reliable service during extreme weather, power outages, and other emergencies.

Investments like these are essential to keeping systems that Portlanders rely on every hour of every day running smoothly. Thank you, Rep. Dexter!

04/15/2026

From April 18 to June 15, 2026, we invite Portland families to get outside and explore one or both of our StoryWalk® locations at Whitaker Ponds in northeast Portland and Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in southeast Portland.

StoryWalk® gives families a fun, low-impact activity and a reason to take a walk through two of Portland’s amazing natural areas this spring. With StoryWalk®, you follow the pages of a storybook along the trail until you reach the end of the tale. On your walk, you might also spot a great blue heron, dragonflies buzzing, a pond full of tadpoles, bees at work, and more.

Learn more about StoryWalk® at: www.portland.gov/bes/clean-rivers-education/storywalk

04/14/2026

Cleaning the curb can make a huuuuuuge difference 💫

By signing up for the Green Street Stewards program, you can help protect our rivers. Across Portland, there are small rain gardens and bioswales that soak up and filter stormwater before it reaches waterways—but sometimes, they need a little help.

Stewards adopt a green street planter in their neighborhood by:
🍂 Clearing leaves and litter
🌱 Weeding and caring for plants
💦 Watering during dry months
🌼 Adding additional plants or flowers

It’s easy work that makes streets greener and our water cleaner.

Sign up, get a quick training, and choose a planter near you: https://www.portland.gov/bes/green-street-stewards/green-street-stewards

04/13/2026

Join us on April 18 with Green Lents, Malden Court Community Orchard, and Solve for a presentation, tour, and volunteer cleanup at the West Lents Floodplain Restoration Project along Johnson Creek.

Participants will learn about the restoration work, explore the West Lents Restoration Project area, and help care for the site alongside other community members.

Register and learn more: https://volunteer.solve.org/opportunity/a0CVL00003mCMP82AO/johnson-creek-green-lents-stewardship