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Long Term Water Supplies

Updates On TVWD's Future Water Supplies

hagg_lake_aerialDistrict to Meet Future Water Needs

TVWD District will meet future water needs by increasing Joint Water Commission supply and purchasing water from the Portland Water Bureau.

On December 19, 2007, the TVWD Board of Commissioners voted to confirm its April 2007 presumptive selection of the Tualatin Basin Water Supply Project (TBWSP) as the primary source of water to meet water needs for the next 50 years. Under the arrangement, TVWD will continue to buy water from the Portland Water Bureau to serve the Metzger area and for backup supply for the District. This decision enables TVWD to continue to draw water from the same two sources it has relied on for more than a decade.

Water for the Future TBWSP Video

Expansion of Hagg Lake

The TBWSP Partners have been engaged in various tasks associated with the planning and permitting of the project. This includes developing cost sharing agreements with the project partners; securing the assistance of consultants to help plan the organizational and management needs for the design and construction of the project; and updating cost projections. As part of their safety of dams program, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is collecting data that will determine what improvements are needed to meet new safety requirements. This information will be used by the partners in designing the expansion of the facility to meet new, more stringent dam safety standards. The Draft Planning Report / Environmental Impact Statement (Draft PR/EIS) for the project is currently scheduled to be completed in mid- 2009. While much of the work on the draft PR/EIS has been completed, it will be published once the new seismic data has been collected and reviewed and results incorporated into the report.

Raw Water Pipeline Planning

One component of the Water Supply Project is the construction of a raw water pipeline from Scoggins Dam. This 96" diameter pipeline will carry water released from Hagg Lake to the Joint Water Commission Water Treatment Plant near Forest Grove to meet municipal and water quality needs in the basin. The pipeline will also serve to refill Hagg Lake in the winter time during high flows. Because the pipeline will cross a number of private properties, easements for the pipeline are now being negotiated with these property owners.

Project Partners Working With US Bureau Of Reclamation On Title Transfer

TBWSP partners are working with the US Bureau of Reclamation to transfer ownership of the Scoggins Dam, Hagg Lake (and adjoining federal lands), and irrigation facilities from the Bureau to the TBWSP partners. The title transfer would also include operation and maintenance responsibilities, legal liability and regulatory requirements to the Partners.

Title transfer offers several potential benefits to both local water resource managers and the Federal government:

  • Flexibility: Local ownership and control of facilities and water rights will reduce decision-making complexity and improve flexibility of water management
  • Efficiency: Title transfer will allow for the more efficient management of water resources in the Tualatin Basin as decisions are made on a local basis
  • Improved Integration: Local ownership would allow regional water managers to better integrate operations of Hagg Lake and Barney Reservoir into the water needs of the basin.
  • Reduce Federal Obligations: Title transfer would allow the federal government to divest itself of responsibility for ongoing operations, maintenance, replacement and liability
  • Time/Cost Savings: Local ownership could offer significant time and cost saving for future improvements.

On February 19, Senator Gordon Smith and representatives from his office toured Hagg Lake with representatives from Washington County and Project Partners. The Partners have submitted two federal appropriations requests for 2009 with Senator Smith's, Senator Ron Wyden's, and Representative David Wu's offices:

  • $1.84 million for the Water Supply Project
  • $106,000 for the Tualatin Title Transfer Project  

The next step in the title transfer process is to prepare an environmental review evaluating environmental impacts associated with the potential title transfer of the dam. Project staff are working with the US Bureau of Reclamation to complete the federally required process.

What Is The Tualatin Basin Water Supply Project?

The TBWSP involves expanding the Joint Water Commission (JWC) supply source by raising the height of Scoggins Dam at Hagg Lake, construction of a pipeline from the dam to the water treatment plant, and expansion of the JWC Water Treatment Plant near Forest Grove. The TBWSP will add 50,000 acre feet of water (the amount of water it takes to fill an acre with one foot of water) to Scoggins Reservoir per year, of which the District would own approximately 23,000 acre feet. Currently, the District receives about 45% of its water from the JWC supply. The goal is to have this extra source of water online and serving customers by 2016 at which time the District will receive about 90% of its water from the JWC supply.

By participating in the project, the Board approved dedicating the entire $12.5 million budgeted for Water Supply Improvements in the adopted 07-09 Biennium Capital Improvement Plan for use on the TBWSP. As a result, the District will not make any future capital expenditures in the Willamette Water Supply.

Who Is Participating In The Project?

The TBWSP partners include TVWD, Clean Water Services, the Cities of Beaverton, Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Tigard, Tualatin, Lake Oswego Corporation, Tualatin Valley Irrigation District, and the US Bureau of Reclamation. Besides providing additional supply for municipal water needs, the project will provide environmental benefits and a stable supply for agricultural uses.

For more information