The Dalles City Council has approved a connection allowing the Pinewood Apartments west of the city to join the existing municipal Crates Point wastewater system near the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center.
The approval comes after the North Central Public Health District confirmed last year that the septic system serving the property’s two eight-unit apartment buildings was failing.
A 1995 intergovernmental agreement between the City of The Dalles and Wasco County had anticipated the possibility of connecting the property to the Crates Point system.
City Public Works Director Dale McCabe said adding the apartments to the system could actually provide an operational benefit by reducing the buildup of hydrogen sulfide.
Under the approved arrangement, the property owner will be responsible for constructing a private wastewater collection system, grinder pump station and pressure sewer line to connect the apartments to the existing system.