A new water supply for Canby
Planning for Canby’s water future is just getting underway.
Canby Utility is laying the foundation for a stronger, more resilient water future through the Canby Water Supply Program (CWSP). This is a long-term investment in our community’s most vital resource. The CWSP will provide reliable, high-quality water to our vibrant community for generations to come.
Why is CU considering a new drinking water intake and treatment facility?
Water sustains what we love about Canby: our residents, local businesses, and nature. CU must address challenges as we plan a future that supports our community.
Over the past decades, we have been planning and taking steps to develop a new, more reliable water supply. The Canby Water Supply Program (CWSP) is our long-term investment in our community’s most vital resource. The CWSP consists of three projects:
- A new Willamette River intake and pump station
- A new water pipeline
- A new drinking water treatment plant
Together, these projects will help us meet the following goals:
- Ensuring a reliable year-round water supply: Canby needs reliable water year-round—not only for drinking, bathing, cooking, and gardening, but also for fire protection.
- Ensuring enough water for our future generations: Canby’s water needs are expected to outpace what our current system can provide by 2035.
- Improving taste and odor: CU can make water taste and smell better by drawing from a bigger river and by adding better processes to purify and filter water.
- Increasing earthquake and emergency readiness: Canby needs a system that can recover quickly after an earthquake, fire, or other disaster.
- Preparing for future contaminants and regulations: CU needs to be ready to remove contaminants that may be detected in the water in the future.
The new water supply will provide clean, safe, and great tasting water for generations to come. Starting this work now means we have time to get it right.
Why we are considering the Willamette River.
Canby’s water currently comes from the Molalla River. The Molalla River has less water in the summer and may not be reliable during a drought or during an emergency. We are proposing to build a new water intake and treatment plant on the Willamette River. The Willamette River has larger and more reliable flows year-round.
Other Oregon communities are already using the Willamette River as their source of drinking water. Springfield, Corvallis, Wilsonville, and Sherwood currently draw water from the river. Hillsboro, Beaverton, and Tualatin Valley Water District are switching to Willamette River supply. These communities provide a proven model for CU to follow.
What is happening now?
The program team is currently in the first major step of work: the conceptual engineering phase. During this phase, our engineers evaluated how and where to build each part of the new system, giving us an better understanding of how to meet our goals for providing water for Canby’s future. First, they studied potential intake sites along the Willamette River, mapped possible routes for the new water pipeline, and explored locations for the future water treatment plant. Each of these parts will create a stronger, more reliable drinking water supply system for Canby.
We began developing initial cost estimates based on the information gathered during conceptual engineering. We shared information about some of the trade offs between different cost options during a community survey in May 2026. Feedback from this survey is helping the Canby Board of Directors make decisions about how to balance the costs and benefits of this project. The Board received a presentation and full survey report at its June 2026 meeting.
We plan to wrap up this phase in fall 2026. Then we’ll move onto detailed design, followed by construction starting in 2028. Timing could change.
CU does not yet know the project’s actual cost. Once the project team identifies locations and completes conceptual design, CU will produce a cost estimate. CU is seeking a mix of funding sources, including grants and low-interest loans, to reduce the impact of the cost on current and future ratepayers. CU’s revenue stream comes only from water user rates, fees, and system development charges, not property taxes.
Keeping our community informed
The CU Board and Canby City Council will prioritize keeping you informed of our progress toward completing this critical legacy project. Throughout this process, CU will continue sharing updates and inviting community input. As plans take shape, we’ll provide opportunities to learn more about how the drinking water supply system will work, the benefits it will bring, and how it will affect you.
Questions? Please get in touch!
Contact the Canby Water Supply Program team at: CWSP@CanbyUtilityOR.gov or (503) 266-1156.