Troutdale Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Troutdale, Oregon, in Multnomah County — a Multnomah County city adjacent to Wood Village and Fairview at the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge in east Portland metro — receives its municipal water from the Portland Water Bureau, drawing from Bull Run Reservoir (Mount Hood National Forest, Clackamas-Multnomah Counties) through the Portland distribution system.

The moderately soft 66 mg/L hardness and TDS of 143.5 mg/L reflect the Portland Bull Run supply's western Cascade volcanic character — somewhat harder than the pure Cascade granitic supplies (Centralia: 15.5 mg/L) due to the Columbia River Basalt influence. Bull Run Reservoir drains the Mount Hood volcanic watershed — Quaternary High Cascades basalt (moderately basic — slightly more soluble than granite), Oligocene Sandy River Mudstone (slightly calcareous), and Pliocene Troutdale Formation (Columbia River gravel — minor carbonate). The moderately basic Cascade volcanic geology produces the slightly harder-than-granitic Portland supply.

At 66 mg/L, Troutdale's water is moderately soft — light scale forms slowly in appliances, dishwashers remain efficient, and bathroom fixtures need occasional cleaning. Semi-annual descaling is appropriate. The PFAS level of 2.1 ppt is very low — the Columbia River Gorge setting is a national scenic area with minimal industrial PFAS sources, and the Portland metro east end has limited AFFF contamination sites near the Bull Run watershed.