By Gail Curtis, Burlington Water District Chairperson
The Burlington Water District (BWD) is a community water system that serves the northern portion of the Linnton area. The BWD 20-year master plan is being updated and a draft version dated February 2025 is available at Burlingtonwater.specialdistrict.org. Public comments are welcomed and can be provided to gailcurtisbwd@gmail.com by April 15th. Comments can be made through June 18 when the BWD Burlington Water District Board will act on the master plan.
The Burlington Water District area generally lies north of NW Harborton Drive to approximately 1,500 feet north of Cornelius Pass Road, straddling both sides of NW St. Helens Road. The BWD serves about 400 people with 119 water service connections. The BWD contracts water service and fire service with the City of Portland.
The purpose of the master plan update is to identify and budget for needed, long-term improvements. Policy discussions include whether the District boundary should be expanded to provide in-District water rates and fire protection. Currently, there are 24 out-of-District customers who receive water services through the District at a higher rate. They are not within the fire/emergency fire service District and cannot benefit from the BWD District’s access to low interest loans.
Burlington Water District Open Board Position
Increasingly, community water systems are becoming privately owned. Typically, with private ownership comes higher water costs. The Burlington Water District is a public, community water system overseen by five elected (or appointed) board members. Board members serve four years on a two-year rotation cycle. To help maintain the Burlington Water District as publicly owned, people who reside in the district are needed to serve on the board. Board positions are currently open. For more information, please contact Gail Curtis, Board Chair at 503-860-8580 or gailcurtisbwd@gmail.com and please feel free to join a board meeting held the third Wednesday of each month at 6:15pm. See website under “Governance” for meeting summary notes or for the link to participate remotely.