Portland Water Filtration Project Earns First Oregon Construction Star Site Since 2010
No lost-time injuries or accidents occurred during the filtration facility site's first three years, and evaluators pointed to its top-to-bottom safety culture.
- By Danielle Naidu
- Nov 04, 2026
East Multnomah County job sites for Portland's Bull Run Filtration Project, which includes a new filtration facility and pipelines, have received Star Site status in Oregon OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). Since July 15, 2010, no other Oregon construction project has earned that designation, the city said.
MWH Constructors and Kiewit Corporation received the certification. The two firms work as a joint venture and serve as construction manager/general contractor for the filtration facility.
During the first three years at the facility's construction site, not one injury or accident caused lost work time, the city said.
Oregon OSHA Administrator Renée Stapleton said the evaluation team praised the site's positive safety culture at every level. She added that top management took an active and visible role.
A formal ceremony at the facility's construction site marked the certification Oct. 27. Pipeline construction sites for the project are due to get formal VPP acknowledgment in late November, the city said. Those pipelines will link the new facility to existing water infrastructure.
About the Author
Danielle Naidu is assistant editor for Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Online.