LAKE OSWEGO -- The city of Lake Oswego's namesake body of water will be slowly emptied over coming weeks.
The depth of the lake will drop 24 feet to allow old sewer pipes to be removed and replaced with a modern, buoyant system that rests off the bottom, but below the surface.
Follow the project
The work will also include dredging of some portions of the lake and canals. The lake will remain drawn down over the winter for the $110 million project, getting filled again in the spring with water from the Tualatin River, creeks and rainfall.
Won't it smell to high heaven when it's drained? Hopefully not, the city says.
There should be no objectionable odors as a result of the lake drawdown. Keep in mind that the drawdown is during the winter. If it occurred during the summer, there could be some odors from more rapidly decaying organic matter. There should be no sewage odors either. The bypass pumping system that will be in place should not result in any increased odors.
