Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District

What Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District does

The Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District is an Oregon public government special district that manages flood-safety and water-conveyance infrastructure along the Columbia River in northern Multnomah County. Established on July 1, 2024, it consolidated four historic drainage districts whose predecessor history dates to 1917. Its approximately 13,000-acre system includes levees, pump stations, and water-conveyance assets serving Portland, Gresham, Fairview, and Troutdale.

The district's activities include levee maintenance, water-conveyance management, emergency response, development review, and watershed planning. The protected area encompasses about 8,000 residents, 60,000 businesses, more than 16 million annual PDX passengers, over 2,000 acres of habitat, approximately half of the region's manufacturing and warehouse jobs, and Oregon's second-largest drinking-water source. As a public entity, it is funded through taxation and public funding rather than commercial product sales, and no conventional pricing, contract, or revenue structure is disclosed.

Name

Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District

Legal name

Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District

Website

https://mcdd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District is an Oregon public special district operating levees, pump stations, and water-conveyance infrastructure to reduce Columbia River flooding across northern Multnomah County and the Portland Metro communities it serves.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flood Risk Management Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUANAEAI

Flood Control & Protection Infrastructure (Levees, Floodwalls, Gates, Pump Stations)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Water & Wastewater Utilities/Stormwater & Floodwater Management (Drainage, CSO, Flood Control)

SECONDARYIMAFAEAG

Roadway Drainage & Stormwater Works (Culverts, Ditches, Catch Basins)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/Civil Infrastructure (Roads, Bridges & Tunnels)

Keywords

• Flood risk management
• Levee maintenance
• Water conveyance systems
• Emergency flood response
• Floodplain development review

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland, Oregon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The district operates and maintains levees, pump stations, sloughs, pipes, and culverts that manage floodwater across nearly 13,000 acres along the Columbia Slough and lower Columbia River. It also provides water conveyance, emergency preparedness and response, development review, and watershed improvement services to reduce flood risk for communities, businesses, landowners, and critical infrastructure.

Product overview

The Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District provides integrated flood safety management services as a single unified governmental district. The portfolio includes Levee Maintenance (vegetation management, inspections, damage repair), Water Conveyance (sloughs, pipes, culverts, pump station management), Emergency Preparedness & Response, Development Review, Watershed Improvement Plan, Portland Metro Levee System Project, Equity Programs, Climate Resiliency, Nature-Based Solutions, and Sponsorship Program. These services work together to protect 8,000 residents, 60,000 businesses, 2,000 acres of natural habitat, and critical infrastructure including Portland International Airport from Columbia River flooding across Portland, Gresham, Fairview, and Troutdale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Levee Maintenance
• Water Conveyance
• Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Development Review
• Watershed Improvement Plan
• Portland Metro Levee System Project

Quantifiable outcome

• Protects 8,000 residents, 60,000 businesses, 2,000 acres of natural habitat, and $16B in annual economic activity from Columbia River flooding

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Clean Water Services: Water resources management utility serving Washington County, Oregon with stormwater management, wastewater treatment, and watershed protection functions. Adjacent peer providing comparable stormwater and watershed services in the same Portland Metro region, though focused on urban stormwater rather than riverine flood control.

Broad incumbents

• Tarrant Regional Water District: Texas regional water district providing flood control, water supply, and recreation across Tarrant County with major reservoir and levee assets. Broader mandate than UFSWQD but comparable as a regional authority operating integrated flood and water infrastructure.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Portland District): Federal agency operating navigation, flood risk management, and ecosystem restoration infrastructure across Oregon and southwestern Washington, including collaboration on Columbia River levees. Overlaps with UFSWQD's flood management mandate as a federal partner and broader flood infrastructure operator.

Direct peers

• Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA): Joint powers agency in California's Sacramento region responsible for levee improvements and flood management along the Sacramento and American Rivers. Closely comparable in mission and regulatory scope to UFSWQD, operating levee and conveyance infrastructure with multi-jurisdictional governance.
• Harris County Flood Control District: Special-purpose flood control district in Harris County, Texas operating levees, bayous, and detention basins to manage flood risk for the Houston region. Most directly comparable as a public special district providing integrated flood control infrastructure over a defined service area.
• Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District: California special district operating storm channels, levees, and detention basins throughout western Riverside County. Comparable as a flood control and water conservation district combining levee operations with regional water management mandate.
• Clark County Regional Flood Control District: Regional flood control district in Clark County, Nevada managing flood control infrastructure, facilities, and master planning for the Las Vegas Valley. Comparable as a regional flood control special district with infrastructure maintenance and development review functions.
• King County Flood Control District: Special purpose district in King County, Washington providing flood protection infrastructure along rivers including the Green, White, and Snoqualmie. Comparable as a regional flood control district in the Pacific Northwest with levee and drainage responsibilities.
• Metro Flood Diversion Authority: Public authority operating the Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion project in North Dakota/Minnesota, managing large-scale levee, channel, and pump infrastructure. Comparable as a multi-jurisdictional flood control entity executing major regional infrastructure projects.

Others

• Multnomah County Drainage District No. 1 (predecessor entities): One of four historic drainage districts consolidated into UFSWQD in July 2024. Directly comparable predecessor entities that historically operated portions of the same levee and drainage system now under the District.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@urbanfloodsafety
• Facebookfacebook.com/UrbanFloodSafety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ufswqd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District