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Public works reports progress on reservoir and transmission projects; Pacific Power blamed for water main hit
Summary
Public works staff said reservoir Phase 3 directional drilling is complete and the transmission backbone is installed to Tolovana Reservoir, with project completion estimated mid-July 2026. Staff reported Pacific Power struck a water main over the weekend; crews restored service by about 7:30 p.m. and a follow-up meeting and invoice to Pacific Power are planned.
Public works staff reported substantial progress on Cannon Beach's water-resiliency work while describing an unrelated Saturday outage caused by an outside contractor.
"We completed the directional drilling. We're working on the control panel seismic valve installation," said Chris, a public works staff member presenting the May–June recap, describing Phase 3 of the reservoir build. Staff said Phase 3A—the transmission backbone—has been installed down Highway 101 to the Tolovana Reservoir and that several related construction tasks, including pipe bursting work on North Spruce, have been finished. Paving for North Spruce and curb work in the Sunset booster area were scheduled for the day of the meeting. Staff estimated final completion for Phase 3 in mid-July 2026.
Chris also briefed the committee on a Saturday water main break caused when a Pacific Power crew attempted to replace a pole and struck a main near Fifth and Fur. "They hit our main water line," Chris said. Crews and local contractors rerouted service and, after an extended repair effort, restored water service by about 7:30 p.m. Staff said they will meet with Pacific Power the following Tuesday for a root-cause discussion and "provide them an invoice." The committee and staff praised the public works crews and local businesses that supplied food and water during the extended response.
Beyond the reservoir work and the outage response, staff said other utility items are moving ahead: a Heustock Heights water-loop project is substantially complete with final punch-list work and paving expected to wrap up in July, and a wastewater generator replacement is in procurement and expected this fall. Committee members asked operational questions about temporary services and thanked staff for their response and coordination during the outage.
The committee took no formal action on these updates at this meeting; minutes indicate discussion and planning for follow-up with Pacific Power and ongoing punch-list work. The committee also encouraged staff to communicate public-facing updates via the city website and social channels.
