Dog River Pipeline Replacement Project
The new Dog River Pipeline is now in service and helping to bring high-quality drinking water to City of The Dalles’ residents. Through two seasons of mountain construction, the City installed roughly 3.5 miles of drinking water pipeline built to last for the next 100 years or more. The modern pipeline replaces the original wood stave aqueduct in Mt. Hood National Forest that was aging and more likely to leak or fail.
The Dog River Pipeline Replacement is the culmination of many years of City effort to improve reliability and resilience of the water system.
Along with new pipeline, the project includes a rock ramp fish passage and screening systems, 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 Complete
- Spring 2024: Final Site Restoration
Project Location
The underground pipeline is located in a protected area in the Mt. Hood National Forest. The City continues to partner with the Forest Service to coordinate work activities as needed.
Pipeline History
The modern Dog River Pipeline marks a new chapter in the long history of the City of The Dalles’ water system. The Dalles relies on Dog River as an important source for its drinking water supply. As early as 1887, a 4-mile ditch helped carry water from Dog River to South Fork Mill Creek to serve a woolen mill and lumber mill. In 1913, the Dalles Water Commission had obtained control and ownership of the Dog River supply and upgraded the open ditch to a wood stave aqueduct to better protect water quality. Today, the Dog River Pipeline is built from modern high-density polyethylene but still follows a similar path along Dog River Mountain to bring water by gravity from the municipal watershed to serve the community.
What's New?
Click the link to read each news feature.Dog River Pipeline: Stronger, Modernized, and in Service! Published December 20, 2023
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 original Dog River Aqueduct was built in 1913 using milled Douglas Fir secured with heavy galvanized wire and sealed with tar. After working effectively for decades, the aging pipeline had deteriorated to the point where it leaked an estimated one million gallons of water a day in the spring. There was also risk of trees falling on the shallow pipe and causing damage.
The new Dog River Pipeline is built with modern materials to improve water efficiency and last for the next 100 years or more. This increased water system reliability and resilience supports the City’s goals of delivering the highest water quality to the community.
The project includes a rock ramp fish passage on Dog River, fish screening systems on the pipeline intake, and repairs to a damaged culvert near Brooks Meadow Creek to further protect water quality. The City also coordinated with the Forest Service so that part of the construction staging area can be converted to parking for a new trailhead called ‘The Hub.’
The new Dog River Pipeline has been in service since October 2023. Some final work, including parts of the new fish screening system and final restoration, will happen in Spring 2024.
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.