Beaverton Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

City of Beaverton Water Utility supplies drinking water to approximately 70,000 residents in Washington County, Oregon. Water is sourced primarily from surface water in the upper Tualatin River, treated at the Joint Water Commission (JWC) Water Treatment Plant south of Forest Grove, where the city holds a 25% share allowing up to 18.75 million gallons per day. Additional supply comes from the Portland Water Bureau, which draws from the Bull Run Watershed and may blend with Columbia South Shore Well Field groundwater during peak summer demand. The Tualatin Valley Water District (TVWD) also serves parts of Beaverton, blending these sources seasonally.

The Tualatin River Watershed spans roughly 720 square miles in the Willamette Valley, fed by tributaries like the South Fork and Scoggins Creek from the Coast Range. Underlying geology features Oligocene-Miocene marine sandstones and siltstones of the Keasey and Spencer formations, overlain by Quaternary alluvium and Pleistocene basalt flows from the Columbia River Basalt Group. This results in very soft water due to minimal dissolution of calcium and magnesium from non-carbonate rocks, with rainwater dominance preventing significant mineral leaching typical of limestone aquifers elsewhere.

Soft water minimizes scale buildup in pipes, water heaters, and dishwashers, reducing energy costs and extending appliance life without frequent deliming. Laundry detergents perform efficiently, and skin feels less dry after bathing. No water softener is needed or recommended — excess softening could make water aggressive toward plumbing, so monitor for corrosion in copper pipes if pH is low. Treatment at the JWC plant involves filtration, coagulation, sedimentation, disinfection with chloramines, and fluoridation; pH is typically 7.5–8.5. No PFAS exceedances have been noted in recent reports, and blending groundwater in summer only slightly raises mineral levels.