Put down the swim cap and back away from the dock... the Big Pipe is full , and a combined sewer overflow advisory has been issued for the Willamette River .

That means sewage mixed with stormwater is now flowing into the river that bisects Portland.

As an atmospheric river continues to beat most of the region with rain , Portland’s Big Pipe system has been inundated.

According to the City of Portland, the overflow began at 3:15 am on Monday and “is ongoing at this time.”

The overflow is about 80% stormwater and 20% sewage, the city said.

Before the $1.4 billion Big Pipe project was completed in 2011, sewage and stormwater runoff would overflow into the river up to 50 times a year. Now, overflows happen about four times a year.

Officials recommend avoiding “contact with the

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