Talkin' Water
Tualatin Valley Water District is hosting Talkin' Water, a series of virtual forums for residential customers to learn more about your water system. The forums are hosted on the Microsoft Teams platform and recordings are placed on the District's YouTube channel.
Upcoming Events
Drinking Water Rates Update 1: September 30, noon - 1 p.m. (click to join)
Drinking Water Rates Update 2: October 10, 6 - 7 p.m. (click to join)
Both sessions will present the same content and include a customer question and answer session.
Links to materials and recordings of past events are available under the topics listed below or on our YouTube Channel.
Conservation Technician Steve Carper and Senior Water Quality Inspector Kahlil Howell provided instruction and tips for turning on your irrigation system, setting your irrigation controller, and the importance of backflow prevention assembly and its required annual testing.
Resources
Field Customer Service Lead Mike Etienne and Customer Service and Billing Specialist Jesus Monje Oregon talked about how to safely shut off your water in an emergency, how a water meter works, how you can help keep utility workers safe on the job, and three other common questions TVWD receives.
Resources
Field Customer Service Lead Mike Etienne and Conservation Technician Steve Carper provided timely tips to help keep your pipes from freezing, what you should do if your pipes freeze or break, and how to prepare your automatic irrigation system for winter weather.
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CEO Tom Hickmann, P.E., Willamette Water Supply Program Director Dave Kraska, P.E., and Chief Financial Officer Paul Matthews discussed what services your water rates fund, why rate increases are needed and what is being done to contain costs. Both events featured the same presentation followed by a Q&A.
- Open House 1, August 2, 2023 Video recording
- Open House 2, August 17, 2023 Video Recording
- PowerPoint Presentation
Resources
Senior Water Quality Inspector Kahlil Howell provided instruction and tips for turning on your irrigation system, setting your irrigation controller, and the importance of backflow prevention and required annual testing.
Resources
Senior Water Quality Inspector Kahlil Howell provided instruction and tips for turning on your irrigation system, setting your irrigation controller, and the importance of backflow prevention and required annual testing.
Resources
Nathan Roder, lector del medidor, hablará sobre de dónde proviene su agua, cómo llevamos agua a su grifo, explique su factura de agua, y discutir la asistencia para facturas que está disponible.
Recursos
Joel Cary, Water Resources Division Manager discussed which TVWD service areas are fluoridated, how TVWD fluoridates your water and why TVWD will temporarily pause fluoridation for a few months due to construction on a critical water transmission main.
Resources
Puede ayudar a prevenir las tuberías congeladas y el daño por agua de las temperaturas frías tomando medidas simples en casa ahora. Fortino Izquierdo Ortiz, Especialista en Servicio al Cliente y Facturación, y Christina Rodriguez Walter, Administradora de Permisos y Extensión de la Willamette Water Supply Program, proporcionará consejos oportunos para ayudar a evitar que sus tuberías se congelen, información sobre lo que debe hacer si sus tuberías se congelan o se rompen, y cómo puede prepararse para las interrupciones en su servicio de agua.
Recursos
You can help prevent frozen pipes and water damage from cold temperatures by taking simple steps at your home now. Pete Boone, Chief Operating Officer and Mike Etienne, Field Customer Service Lead, provide timely tips to help keep your pipes from freezing and what you should do if your pipes freeze or break.
Resources
From a small water main break to the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, emergencies can happen at any time. Willamette Water Supply Director Dave Kraska and TVWD Emergency Program Coordinator Kevin Sutherland discussed what we are doing to prepare and how you can actively prepare for interruptions in your water service.
Resources
Chief Executive Officer Tom Hickmann, Willamette Water Supply Director Dave Kraska and Chief Financial Officer Paul Matthews hosted two presentations discussing what your water rates pay for, why we need a rate increase, and what TVWD is doing to keep costs down. Both presentations hosted the same presentation content with different questions and answers at the end.
- Recording of Session 1: August 8 at 6 p.m.
- Recording of Session 2: August 11 at 6 p.m.
- PowerPoint Presentation
Resources
- Rates Proposal
- Financial Plan Update from May 2022, starts on Page 13
- Budget
Learn more about our vacancy on our Board of Commissioners, opportunities to serve on our Rate Advisory Committee, and our upcoming vacancy on the Budget Committee. Presented by Paul Matthews, Jim Duggan and Andrea Watson on July 20, 2022.
- Video recording of Customer Involvement Opportunties Talkin' Water
- PowerPoint Slides from Customer Involvement Opportunities Talkin' Water
Resources
Board of Commissioners Vacancy | Application
Rate Advisory Committee Seeking Volunteers | Application
Learn more about TVWD’s 209th and Farmington facility, an important project as we transition to the Willamette Water Supply System in 2026. Justin Dyke, Outreach and Engagement Coordinator and Andrew Barrett, Senior Project Engineer discussed the site’s future layout, functionality, and upcoming construction impacts. Presented January 19, 2022.
Resources
Freezing temperatures can damage automatic irrigation systems. Learn what you can do to prevent your irrigation system components from breaking this winter. Presented by Steve Carper and Kal Howell October 28, 2021.
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Are you concerned about how issues like earthquakes, climate change, drought, and pollution may affect your drinking water? Learn more about how we are preparing to keep the water delivered to TVWD customers safe and flowing even after a future Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake. Presented by Tom Hickmann, Dave Kraska, and Joel Cary October 26, 2021.
Resources
- Inside Washington County on the Future of Water Podcast
- Willamette Water Supply System
- TVWD Water Quality
- Willamette Watershed Strategic Plan: Full Document | One Page Summary
Chief Executive Officer Tom Hickmann and Chief Financial Officer Paul Matthews hosted three presentations discussing what your water rates pay for, why we need a rate increase, and what TVWD is doing to keep costs down. All three presentations hosted the same presentation content with different questions and answers at the end.
- Recording of Session 1: August 11 at Noon
- Recording of Session 2: August 11 at 6 p.m.
- Recording of Session 3: August 21 at 9:30 a.m.
- PowerPoint Presentation
Resources
Learn more about the available water utility bill assistance programs, how you can sign up for long-term payment arrangements, and other community resources to help you get current on your bill. Presented by Justin Dyke and Sharie Ashbrook September 16, 2021.
Resources
- TVWD's Bill Assistance Programs
- Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program
- Community Action Oregon of Washington County
Learn about backflow incidents, what causes them, the role customers play in required annual testing and backflow prevention, and the unique, customer focused aspects of TVWD's backflow prevention program. Presented by Senior Water Quality Inspector Kahlil Howell on June 2, 2021.
Resources
Using water efficiently helps you and the community by reducing water demand. This session provides tips for watering efficiently while maintaining a beautiful landscape. Learn about TVWD’s water efficiency rebates, the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program, and emerging technologies to help you use water efficiently. Presented by Conservation Technician Steve Carper on May 19, 2021.
Resources
Get an “under the street” and “inside the system” view of how your quality water is processed and delivered to you! Learn why water mains break, how we work to minimize inconveniences during planned and emergency shutdowns, and what you can do to keep things working or prepare for the rare cases when you would be without water service. Presented by Water Operations Division Manager Pete Boone on April 21, 2021.
Resources
Watch a visual demonstration of the large diameter pipeline which will be used to bring water from the Willamette River to customers starting in 2026 via ESRI ArcGIS. Flyover views, interactive text and points of interest are enhanced features of the map created using ESRI ArcGIS, one of the leaders in the software mapping industry. Presented by Willamette Water Supply Program Geographic Information Systems Analyst Scott Fortman on March 24, 2021.
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Learn about TVWD’s priorities followed by a customer-driven question and answer session. Presented by Chief Executive Officer Tom Hickmann on February 24, 2021.
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The Willamette Water Supply Program will provide the region with an additional water supply, which is being constructed to serve the region’s water needs for the future. Learn more about the active construction underway to have the system online by 2026. Presented by Willamette Water Supply Program Construction Manager Andre Tolme on January 28, 2021.
Resources
Get an “under the street” and “inside the system” view of how your quality water is processed and delivered to you! Learn why water mains break, how we work to minimize inconveniences during planned and emergency shutdowns, and what you can do to keep things working or prepare for the rare cases when you would be without water service. Presented by Water Operations Division Manager Pete Boone on December 10, 2020.
Resources
There are many things you can do to help keep your pipes from freezing during winter, but preparation is the key. Learn from TVWD experts simple steps you can take to your water flowing during freezing weather, and what you should do in case a pipe breaks. Presented by Field Customer Service Lead Mike Etienne on November 4, 2020.
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Learn from TVWD’s emergency preparedness team about how you can actively prepare for emergencies where your water service may be unavailable. This event focused on residential customers wanting to learn more about disaster preparedness. Presented by Emergency Program Coordinator Robert Whitham on September 30, 2020.
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Learn how TVWD actively manages its finances to keep rates as low as possible. TVWD staff also explained the new regional water supply partnership with the cities of Hillsboro and Beaverton. Constructing this new water supply provides jobs to fuel the recovery of the local economy, and will be available by 2026 when TVWD’s purchased water agreement expires. This additional water supply will provide a reliable and resilient, quality water supply for the region's human, economic, and fire protection needs. Presented by Chief Executive Officer Tom Hickmann, Willamette Water Supply Program Director Dave Kraska, and Chief Financial Officer Paul Matthews on August 25, 2020.
Resources
- Rates Webpage
- Current Water Rates: Residential | Commercial
- Willamette Water Supply Program
This event was designed for customers and consumers who wanted to learn more about the safety of drinking water and our water quality monitoring program. Presented by Water Resources Division Manager Joel Cary on July 16, 2020.
Resources