Stories
From Disco to Drinking Water: JWC Celebrates 50th Anniversary
This year, the Joint Water Commission (JWC) celebrates its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of delivering safe, reliable drinking water to Washington County. The JWC’s Water Treatment Plant (WTP) came online in 1976, shortly after passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974, which established new national standards for water quality. At the time,…
Read MoreJWC Celebrates $1.09 Million Federal Grant for Seismic Improvements to Water Treatment Plant Disinfection System
The Joint Water Commission (JWC) welcomed Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici to the JWC Water Treatment Plant on March 9, 2026, to celebrate a $1.092 million Congressional Project Funding (CPF) grant secured for seismic improvements to the facility’s chlorine disinfection system. The JWC is a drinking water treatment and delivery partnership between the cities of Hillsboro, Forest…
Read MoreLiving Downstream: Eldon S. Mills Dam & Barney Reservoir
The Eldon Mills Dam and Barney Reservoir are located at the headwaters of the North Fork Trask River in Oregon’s northern Coast Range. The dam is composed of rock. It was originally completed in 1970 and expanded for capacity in 1999. Rainwater and snow melt is collected throughout the year in the reservoir, then released during summer…
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