Water
The City of Lake Oswego operates and maintains a Water Treatment Plant in West Linn, as well as a distribution system, a water conservation program, and a cross connection control program.
Water plays a vital role in everyone’s life. The Water Department’s mission is to bring healthy drinking water of the highest quality to Lake Oswego’s residential and wholesale customers from our intake facility on the Clackamas River in Gladstone, all the way to your tap.
May 4-10 is Drinking Water Week, a celebration recognizing the vital role water plays in everyday life for both water professionals and the communities they serve. It is an opportunity to highlight the quality of our water, the infrastructure needed to deliver water from the source to your home or business, and the people who make it happen.
Learn more about the journey of your water by taking a tour of our Water Treatment Plant! Tours are limited to 15 people, so sign up early! You can also participate by using our new smart water meters to take control of your water usage and set conservation goals through our online utility billing portal!
Interested in learning more about your drinking water? Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Lake Oswego-Tigard Water Treatment Plant, located in West Linn!
Tours are held about once a month between spring and early fall, take approximately 1 ½ hours and are limited to 15 people per tour.
Over the past five years, the City has been replacing outdated, manually-read water meters to a new, wirelessly-read technology. These smart meters support efficiencies in our water system and improve customer service.
As of spring 2025, 99% of the 12,630 meters city-wide have been replaced. The majority of these are residential meters, with about 300 accounting for commercial meters. All new smart meters are expected to be installed and in service by end of 2025.
Clean drinking water is an essential resource we rely on every day. Providing residents and businesses in Lake Oswego with safe, dependable, high-quality water is our top priority.
Lake Oswego’s tap water meets or exceeds every State and Federal standard for safe drinking water. Get to know your drinking water by reviewing the latest 2024 Water Quality Report.
Questions about drinking water, water treatment, water distribution, or water quality? Check out our comprehensive Water FAQs!
Backflow devices separate potable water from non-potable water sources such as irrigation systems, medical equipment, and private pump systems. Backflow Tests are required to be completed and submitted by July 15 of each year.
Lake Oswego's drinking water originates in the Clackamas River watershed.
The Lake Oswego Tigard Water Treatment Plant produces high quality drinking water for more than 100,000 customers every day. Lake Oswego's drinking water is made clean and safe using a state-of-the-art treatment process known as conventional filtration, plus ozone. Take a look inside the heart of the water treatment process.
New to town and need to start your Utility Services? Or just have a question about your Utility Bill, water service, leaks, or consumption information, the Utility Bill Information page has links to everything that you will need to start, stop, understand and find out more about your Utility Bill and Services.