Joint Water Commission Water Treatment Plant

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Forest Grove, OR
Joint Water Commission Water Treatment Plant

The Joint Water Commission (JWC) is the primary drinking water supplier in Washington County, Oregon, and is responsible for treating, transmitting, and storing potable water for about 450,000 customers.

05/04/2026

May 3–9 is Drinking Water Week, a celebration of everything drinking water does for our community.

Water is often called the “invisible utility” because most of the work to bring safe, reliable water to your tap is done behind the scenes. Even most of the infrastructure, like pipes and reservoirs, is hidden underground.

Along our water's journey from the Tualatin River to your tap, our staff are hard at work to make sure your drinking water is there when you need it. From testing water quality to maintaining water treatment infrastructure, we keep water flowing to over 450,000 community members in Washington County.

Learn more about your drinking water at www.JWCWater.org!

03/19/2026

Our drinking water is in great shape for the summer!

As of March 3, Barney Reservoir has hit full capacity of 20,000 acre-feet. Each summer, when flow in the Tualatin River drops too low for municipal use, we release water from Barney and Scoggins (Hagg Lake) Reservoirs.

You may have noticed it felt like a dry winter in many parts of Oregon, but precipitation in our basin has been near average, and unlike some regions, our seasonal water supply isn't dependent on snowmelt. That means we have full reserves at both Barney and Scoggins heading into the warmer months.

The result? We're heading into summer with a full supply of stored water at both reservoirs, ready to provide safe and reliable drinking water to our customers all season long.

02/27/2026

This month marks 30 years since Oregon's largest flood event.

That winter, an unusual confluence of weather events made the floods particularly severe. Abnormally high rainfall and relatively low snowfall saturated ground soil and raised river levels.

The floods had a major impact on the Joint Water Commission (JWC)'s Water Treatment Plant. Water treatment processes were significantly slowed due to the levels of debris and sediment in the water. The raw water turbidimeter at the plant, which measures the number of suspended particles in water pumped from the river (not yet treated), peaked at 1,248 NTU. Under normal winter conditions, untreated water NTU usually ranges from about 12-80 NTU. The JWC plant regularly produces finished drinking water with 0.03 NTU.

Despite the challenging conditions, the plant continued treating water throughout the flood. Three operators were stranded at the plant for three days before the National Guard was able to evacuate them. The operators worked around the clock to successfully treat the highly turbid water to normal levels before it left the facility.

The JWC Water Treatment Plant's continued operations during those three days ensured that our community had access to clean drinking water, even as the flood disrupted nearly every other aspect of daily life.

Read the full story at https://jwcwater.org/news-releases/.

01/02/2026

Cheers to 2026!

As we ring in the new year, our dedicated team continues working around the clock to ensure safe, clean drinking water flows to your homes and businesses. The JWC Water Treatment Plant operates 24/7, 365 days a year. We're proud to serve our community, and we thank our hardworking staff for their commitment to keeping our water system running without interruption.

Here's to a fantastic year ahead!

12/25/2025

Happy Holidays from the Joint Water Commission!

Our dedicated team continues working around the clock to ensure safe, clean drinking water flows to your homes and businesses. The JWC Water Treatment Plant operates 24/7, 365 days a year. We're proud to serve our community, and we thank our hardworking staff for their commitment to keeping our water system running without interruption.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!

12/17/2025

Today is the anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act! For over 50 years, this landmark legislation has protected public health by regulating our nation's drinking water supply and ensuring that Americans have access to safe, clean water.

We're proud to be part of this ongoing commitment to water quality and public health. Our team works 24/7/365 to meet and exceed these federal standards, conducting rigorous testing and monitoring to ensure the water flowing to your tap is safe for you and your family.

10/18/2025

The JWC has been honored with a Drinking Water Source Protection Award from the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon DEQ. This award recognizes the Commission's ongoing efforts to protect the quality of drinking water at its source. The protection activities implemented have been acknowledged for substantially reducing risks to the public water system's source, ensuring safer, cleaner water for the community.

Learn more about Source Water Protection at https://jwcwater.org/news-releases/

10/17/2025

Could you go one day without water? Neither could our homes, schools, hospitals, or local businesses.

Today is , and it reminds us to appreciate everything that's made possible with clean water.

Water connects every part of our lives—from farmers growing the food we eat to local businesses fueling our economy, to friends and neighbors gathering in parks and playgrounds. Clean, reliable water is the thread that holds our communities, futures, and livelihoods together.

This day is about why we invest in water infrastructure—to keep our neighborhoods strong, healthy, and thriving, one drop at a time.

Learn more at www.JWCWater.org

10/05/2025

Did you know the same lakes, rivers, and reservoirs you swim, fish, paddle, and play in also supply our drinking water?

Whether you're casting a line at sunrise, kayaking with friends, or just soaking up the sun at your favorite local spot — it all depends on clean, healthy source water.

Check out these tips to protect our water sources during and beyond!
✅ Pick up after your pets.
✅ Secure and properly dispose of all garbage.
✅ Carefully wash and dry boats, motors, and recreation equipment after each use to prevent the spread of invasive species.

10/04/2025

Meet the source water protection team!

Join us in celebrating Source Water Protection Week. The Joint Water Commission is proud to provide you with safe, clean drinking water every day. We start this process at source, making sure the natural water sources we draw from are protected and able to provide us with quality water.

Address

4475 SW Fern Hill Road
Forest Grove, OR
97116

Telephone

+15036156702

Website

https://jwcwater.org/

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