Troutdale council accepts siting study recommendation to place Well No. 9 at Wood Dale Park

Troutdale city council on April 8 voted to accept a staff-and-consultant siting study recommending Wood Dale Park as the preferred location for a new municipal well, known in project documents as Well No. 9, allowing staff to move into design and later construction phases.

The recommendation came from city Public Works Director Travis Sultan and engineer Scott Waddell, who told the council the siting study—prepared with local hydrogeology firm Groundwater Solutions Incorporated—scored Wood Dale Park highest across multiple criteria including probability of good water quality and overall site suitability. "Wood Dale scored well across all criteria, and, overall, was a pretty clear winner among the different sites," Sultan said. The study also considered a Reservoir 4 site and a Reservoir 3/Columbia Park site.

The nut graf: approving the siting study does not authorize construction; the council's vote accepts the technical recommendation and authorizes staff to proceed with design work and subsequent community engagement and permitting. Staff emphasized the next steps will include design, neighborhood outreach and the drilling and testing that will ultimately determine yield and quality.

Councilors asked about neighborhood notification, visual impacts and noise. Sultan said staff intentionally delayed widespread neighborhood outreach until after council acceptance so the council would not be surprised by resident feedback, and that the department would seek to design an aesthetically compatible well house similar to previous well houses that blend with nearby residential architecture. When asked about noise and water quality concerns, staff noted they had received no complaints about noise at Well 5 and that the study increased confidence in getting good water quality at the Wood Dale location but could not promise results until the well is drilled. "We can never say with 100% certainty until we actually drill the hole and start pumping," Sultan said.

Councilors also raised whether alternate city-owned properties could be repurposed; staff explained constraints including potential well interference with nearby wells and existing reservoir structural issues at Helena House Park that make that site unsuitable for a new well. Sultan said a future reservoir is more likely at the Reservoir 4 site because of elevation needs and existing city ownership.

The council adopted a resolution accepting the siting study recommendation by unanimous roll call. The vote record as read on the floor listed seven affirmative votes and no negatives or abstentions. City staff said the next steps are design and neighborhood engagement prior to drilling.

The council did not set construction dates or a drilling schedule at the April 8 meeting; staff indicated community outreach and design will precede any construction authorization.