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, a new culvert near Brooks Meadow Creek, and interpretive signage for historic features.
Project Milestones
Construction of the new pipeline is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
- March 2022: Design Complete
- June 2022: Site Preparation Complete
- July-November 2022: Construction Season One Complete
- May-November 2023: Construction Season Two Underway
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.
What's New?
Click the link to read each news feature.Springing into Season Two of Dog River Pipeline Construction Published May 30, 2023
Dog River Pipeline Construction Winter Break Published November 21, 2022
Old Surveyor’s Ridge Trail Closed for Safety through Mid-November Published October 21, 2022
Jul 19, 2022 The City of The Dalles, Oregon is replacing a 110-year-old wooden pipeline that provides more than half the City's water, but leaks up to a million gallons a day during peak stream flows. This video records the groundbreaking ceremony on July 18, 2022. Filmed and edited by Rodger Nichols.
Click the link to read each news feature.
Groundbreaking Event Celebrates Start of Dog River Pipeline Construction Published July 19, 2022
Summer 2022 Dog River Pipeline Construction is Underway Published July 7, 2022
Dog River Pipeline Replacement Design Complete, Getting Ready for Construction Published May 6, 2022
Dog River Pipeline Project Update Published October 10, 2022
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 and protecting water quality by replacing a failed culvert where Forest Service Road 1700-014 crosses Brooks Meadow Creek. The City is also coordinating with the Forest Service to provide needed maintenance of nearby Forest Service roads and 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.