Dog River Pipeline Replacement Project
The City of The Dalles is replacing 3.5 miles of aging wooden water supply pipeline in the Mt. Hood National Forest with new pipeline being designed to last 100 years or more. After serving The Dalles since the early 1900s, the current pipeline now leaks about 1 million gallons of water in the spring when Dog River runs high.
The Dog River Pipeline Replacement Project is the culmination of many years of City effort to improve reliability and resilience of the water system and will support the City’s goal of delivering the highest quality water to the community.
Along with replacing the pipeline, the project also includes new fish screening and passage facilities, and interpretive signage for historic features.
Project Milestones
Construction of the new pipeline will be completed over two seasons, beginning in summer 2022.
- March 2022: Design Complete
- April-July 2022: Site Preparation
- July-November 2022: Construction Season One
- April-November 2023: Construction Season Two
- December 2023: Project Complete
Project Location
The pipeline is located in the Mt. Hood National Forest, and the City is working in close partnership with the Forest Service to coordinate trail user outreach and planned construction activities.
Dog River Pipeline Replacement Project FAQ
The Dog River Pipeline is essential, delivering more than half of the City’s annual water supply to Crow Creek Reservoir, which supplies the City’s Wicks Water Treatment Plant. The City has been using this high-quality and reliable supply of water from a pristine source in the Mt. Hood National Forest for more than a century.
The existing pipeline was built in the early 1900s using milled Douglas Fir secured with heavy galvanized wire and sealed with tar. After serving the City for more than a century, the pipeline has deteriorated to the point where it leaks an estimated 1 million gallons of water a day in the spring. There is also risk of trees falling on the shallow pipe and causing damage.
The new pipeline is being designed and built to last through the next 100 years or more. This improved reliability and resilience supports the City’s goals of delivering the highest water quality to the community.
The project includes installing new fish screening and passage facilities on Dog River. The City is also coordinating with the Forest Service to allow part of the staging area to be converted after construction is complete to a parking lot for a new trailhead called ‘The Hub.’
The City expects to complete the project by December 2023. The construction timing is planned over two seasons and will be dependent on mountain weather conditions.
The City will update this project webpage at key milestones throughout the work.
Send an email address to dogriverpipeline@ci.the-dalles.or.us to receive occasional project announcements.