Portland Water Bureau encourages efficient outdoor watering through voluntary schedules and may impose mandatory curtailment during droughts, drawing primarily on the protected Bull Run watershed for municipal supply.
Portland's drinking water comes mainly from the Bull Run watershed, supplemented by the Columbia South Shore Well Field. The Water Bureau publishes voluntary summer watering schedules, encouraging deep infrequent watering and dawn or dusk irrigation. Under Title 21 water-utility rules, the Bureau Director can declare curtailment stages limiting outdoor watering, fountain operation, and ornamental fixture use. Multi-family buildings and large irrigators may face audit requirements. Enforcement focuses on education first; persistent waste can incur surcharges.
During declared curtailment, violations escalate from warning notices to surcharges and, for repeat large users, possible service-flow restriction or termination under Title 21 Water utility rules.
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