Camp Creek wildfire near Portland’s water source grows to 1,226 acres

By Beth Slovic
The Oregonian
August 28, 2023
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

A wildfire sparked by lightning Thursday in Mount Hood National Forest near the drinking water reservoirs for the Portland area has grown to 1,226 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire is 0% contained and 1.5 miles from one drinking water reservoir and 3 miles from a water treatment facility, but officials with the Portland Water Bureau said Sunday afternoon that they have not detected any negative effects on the region’s drinking water — nor do they expect any. “We don’t anticipate any immediate impacts,” said Scott Bradway, water quality information manager for the bureau. Any ash that may fall on the Bull Run reservoir closest to the fire, which holds almost 2.5 billion gallons of water, would be diluted, and the Water Bureau pulls water from the middle or lower parts of the reservoir, Bradway said. Water Bureau officials are continuing routine monitoring of the system.

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