Portland Area Rains Lead To Sewage Overflow, Flooding Concerns

PORTLAND, OR — That there's been a lot of rain is clear. It's the metro area. It's January. No one is surprised. That said, there's been a lot of it since Sunday.

As a result, not only has Portland's Big Pipe sewage drainage system – meant to handle overflows – overflowed but flood warnings are in effect throughout the area.

The overflow forced the Bureau of Environmental Services to issue an advisory urging people to avoid contact with Willamette River water because overflows are usually about 80 percent stormwater and 20 percent sewage.

With more rain in the forecast and the fact that rules state people should avoid the water for 48 hours after an overflow, the advisory is in effect through Sunday, January 9.

BES says that sewage overflows are rare, occurring doing heavy rain and snow.

Since the completion of the Big Pipe project in 2011, sewage flows into the Willamette have dropped by 94 percent