Drinking Water - Water Utility
The City of Silverton water system is comprised of:
- Two water treatment plants at the Ames Street location have a combined capacity of 2.5 million gallons per day in the winter and 4.0 million gallons per day during the summer
- Two booster pump stations
- Silverton reservoir - water supply storage
- Abiqua diversion dam and supply pipeline
- 30 miles of water distribution lines
- Three treated water storage tanks totaling 4.5 million gallons
The Abiqua Creek supply is the main source, mostly because the diversion is high enough in elevation to allow water to flow to the treatment plant without pumping. Silver Creek is the other source of supply. A third resource is the water stored in Silverton Reservoir, which can account for up to 1,300 acre feet (423,000,000 gallons) of water.
Silverton's water system provides high-quality drinking water. There are two very important reasons for this. First, our creek's source water quality is normally very clean. More importantly, though, our treatment plant operators take special pride in treating water well above any required water quality standards. Over 11,000 water tests are completed over the course of a year to make sure the drinking water reaching our customers exceeds all standards of purity.
While the drinking water in the City of Silverton has been fluoridated since 1972, as per Resolution 646 (1972), the fluoride system at the Water Treatment Plant is currently out of operation, and the City's water is not fluoridated. In March 2025, the City Council approved funding to purchase a new fluoridation system. The equipment has been procured, and installation is currently anticipated to occur in late November 2025, pending supply chain timelines that remain outside the City’s control. This timeline is subject to change.
For recent updates on this topic, visit: Update on Fluoridation of City Water | Silverton, OR
Please contact Brad Jensen, Water Quality Supervisor, at 503.873.5439, if you have any questions.