Development News for The Dalles, Oregon

City Council Adopts Updated Water Management and Conservation Plan

The City Council adopted the 2025 Water Management and Conservation Plan, which is mandated by the state of Oregon to ensure efficient water supply management for current and future demands. The plan, updated from the 2014 version, requires a 10-year update cycle. A key finding is that the city's water loss has increased above the 10% threshold, necessitating a corrective action analysis by April 1, 2028. The plan also outlines reporting requirements to the Oregon Water Resource Department (OWRD) and sets deadlines for future updates. Adoption of this plan is crucial for incorporating it into the city's comprehensive plan and for seeking future state and federal funding for water-related projects, including upgrades to the Wix water treatment plant and transmission lines, and the expansion of Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) wells. The plan includes provisions for water curtailment steps in case of reduced snowpack. The council discussed the capacity of ASR, the challenges with the SCADA system, and the impact of data centers on infrastructure, confirming that the system has capacity and Google's development has not negatively impacted it due to infrastructure agreements. The plan addresses two diversion permits, one for the Columbia River and one for Crow Creek Dam expansion, noting that only one can be fully developed at a time, with the other requiring re-justification for future pursuit.