Clackamas River Intake

Facility Description

Lake Oswego’s river intake, also known as the “raw water pump station”, was constructed in 1968, expanded in 1980, and upgraded in 2002.  The facility pumps untreated “raw” water from the Clackamas River to a water treatment plant in West Linn.  From there, treated drinking water is delivered to Lake Oswego residents.

The existing facility has some serious problems:

  • The structure’s concrete floor is decaying and would be costly to repair.
  • Pumps are decades old and suffer from chronic mechanical problems and breakdowns.
  • Electrical and motor cooling systems are inadequate and cannot be upgraded within the existing structure.
  • Reliable pump capacity is only 12 million gallons per day.  Over the past decade, Lake Oswego’s summer peak day demand has regularly exceeded this limit.

Given these problems, upgrading and expanding the existing water intake facility is not a viable option.

A New Water Intake

A new river intake pump station, at the western edge of Chief Charles Ames Park, was approved by the Gladstone Planning Commission earlier this year. The new fish friendly water pump station will deliver water from the Clackamas River to the Lake Oswego Tigard Water Partnership’s water treatment plant. Construction begins summer 2013. The new facility has a residential-looking façade, improved fencing, high quality building materials, a drinking fountain and native landscaping.

The existing facility will be removed. The raw water pipeline that carries untreated water from the intake facility to the water treatment plant in West Linn will also be replaced.

Existing Pump Station
New Design
Existing River Intake Facility New River Intake Design

Project Update

In this video, City of Gladstone Public Works Supervisor, Scott Tabor, explains the benefits that Gladstone will receive by coordinating with the Lake Oswego Tigard Water Partnership team.

How to Get Involved

Click here for upcoming meeting dates.

Sign up to receive email notices.  Mark the ‘Clackamas Water Intake’ as your interest.

Click here to contact us by email.

Call the Water Hotline (503) 697-6502.

Look Ahead: 

You can find regular updates on the Work Underway page.