Dog River Pipeline: Stronger, Modernized, and in Service!
The City of The Dalles’ new and improved Dog River Pipeline is now in service! Following two busy construction seasons, the new pipeline is now installed and delivering high-quality water from the City’s protected watershed to The Dalles.
“With support from our valued partners, The Dalles City Council has turned a longstanding priority into a reality, successfully modernizing the Dog River Pipeline,” said Public Works Director Dave Anderson.
The Dog River Pipeline Replacement enhances the City’s water system reliability and improves water efficiency. The new three-and-a-half-mile pipeline is built with durable high-density polyethylene and replaces the aging wooden pipeline estimated to have leaked one million gallons of water per day during high springtime flows.
The project location in Mt. Hood National Forest meant construction had to span multiple seasons, adjusting for winter snows and fall wildfires. Along with the pipeline, the City has also installed a new rock ramp fish passage in Dog River and made repairs to a damaged culvert to further protect water quality. Some finishing touches, including portions of the new fish screening system near the intake and final restoration, will happen in spring 2024.
“The pipeline construction was made possible by ratepayer funds and through $1 million in grants, helping us complete this necessary project to secure a reliable water pipeline for the future of The Dalles,” said Dave Anderson.
Early in the project, the City was successful at getting outside supplemental funding including grants, forgivable loans, and low-interest loans from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority and the Oregon Water Resources Department. The Dalles’ community is seeing the results of that investment with the pipeline now in service and helping to supply drinking water.
Completion of the Dog River Pipeline Replacement introduces a new chapter for The Dalles’ water system history that is stronger and modernized, while continuing to provide fresh reliable drinking water to the community.
To learn more about the project, visit thedalles.org/dogriverpipeline or email dogriverpipeline@ci.the-dalles.or.us