After a near half-decade closure, a popular Oregon recreation area will welcome visitors this summer. But the date remains vague
Ready or not? Out of public view, work continues at Kingsley Reservoir. An opening date remains elusive. Photo: Jurgenhessphotography.com
By Ben Mitchell, June 28, 2022. Anxious about summer heat? If you’re near the Columbia River Gorge, relief may be near.
The question is when.
Kingsley Reservoir, also known as the Green Point Upper Reservoir, has been shuttered since September 2017 due to a Farmers Irrigation District (FID) project to upgrade and expand infrastructure at the reservoir.
The reservoir is a key source of residential and agricultural irrigation water for the district that serves 1,722 users and 5,800 acres on the west side of Hood River County, Ore.
The project, which includes raising the height of the dam 11 feet to increase the volume of the reservoir, was originally slated for completion in May 2019. Due to unexpected delays, the timeline was pushed back to summer 2021, and now to summer 2022.
Along with upgrading the dam, FID replaced an aging outlet pipe and valve. It also created a new wetland after an existing wetland on site was impacted by project work.
In addition to being an important water source, Kingsley, located about 70 miles east of Portland and 30 minutes from downtown Hood River, is a popular recreation area, particularly among locals, who visit the reservoir for swimming, paddling, fishing, picnicking, hiking, biking, camping and ATV/dirt bike riding.
Kingsley Reservoir and Mt. Hood: Water levels in a trio of lakes were raised by dams built in the early 1900s. Flumes carried logs from the lakes to a lumber mill at Green Point, now Kingsley. Photo: pdx.rollingthunder/CC
At a time when recreational use is increasing in the nearby Columbia River Gorge, having Kingsley Reservoir closed to the public has meant one fewer option to alleviate user strain. Particularly in summer.
Exacerbating this is the fact that another popular reservoir in Hood River County, Laurance Lake, has been closed since last summer due to dam work and a road washout.
Doug Thiesies, county forest manager for the Hood River County Forestry Department, which manages Kingsley and several other recreation areas, says an exceptionally wet spring has added more delays to the project, pushing back the opening of Kingsley, now likely to the beginning of August or later.
“The weather has thrown a curveball,” Thiesies says. “It’s just too wet. It’s like playing in the mud.”
Reservoir level good
FID embarked on the Kingsley project nearly five years ago to improve storage at the reservoir, which has been significantly impacted by climate change.
Les Perkins, general/district manager at FID, tells Columbia Insight that dwindling snowpacks and stream flows have made it so that the reservoir is “pushing into the last drop, pretty much every year.”
FID originally received $4.2 million in funding for the project via a combination of an Oregon Water Resources Department grant and a Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) loan. The district also received an additional $2.7 million CWSRF loan. Perkins says FID will use “as little of this capacity as possible to finish the project.”
Coming up: Doug Thiesies indicates seedlings planted last fall. The trees will eventually provide screening for campers at Kingsley Reservoir. Photo: Jurgenhessphotography.com
The project encountered early delays due to permitting and staffing issues at federal agencies, as reported by Columbia Insight in 2019.
Since then, FID and its contractor, Crestline Construction, has dealt with everything from wildfire danger/air-quality issues, inclement and unseasonable weather, pandemic shutdowns and COVID sickouts, and supply chain issues. Each have caused the estimated date of completion to be pushed out time and again.
The silver lining about an abnormally wet spring? Perkins says FID is heading into irrigation season with a reservoir that’s in good shape.
More good news: Perkins says there’s “not much work left to do” on the project.
FID will be installing fire rings and picnic tables at the new campground it developed on the southwest side of the reservoir opposite the old campground on the northeast shore. The irrigation district was required to replace campsites inundated by the increase in the height of the updated reservoir’s water level.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I think people are going to be really pleased with what they see.” —Les Perkins, Farmers Irrigation District[/perfectpullquote]
Perkins says the new campground, which consists of about 30 primitive sites and three vault toilets, is located in mature timber and has good access to the reservoir.
Thiesies says the county is utilizing grant funding to eventually create two more campground loops, including one not far from the site of the original campground, consisting of about 40 campsites with additional vault toilets. He estimates completion of that project as five to seven years away.
The county’s website was updated on June 27 with a new estimate for completion of work that “might be as early as the first part of August 2022.”
MORE: Massive expansion of Mt. Hood recreation areas could be coming
The reservoir will start filling to its new water level by summer 2023.
Although the reservoir won’t be at its new level this summer, Perkins says the campground experience won’t be impacted much. The old boat ramp in the day-use area can still be accessed when water levels are low. It’s located next to a new ramp boaters will access when water levels are higher and the reservoir is filled.
In order to protect water quality, only electric trolling motors will be allowed.
New feature: Permit system
“Honestly, I’m excited to see it reopen,” Perkins says. “Kingsley has been used for generations by residents, so there’s been a lot of dismay by having it closed for a long period of time.
“I think people are going to be really pleased with what they see.”
Another change since the last time the reservoir was open—the public now has to pay to park.
Daily permits for Kingsley parking cost $5; annual permits go for $30.
Making Kingsley whole: Thiesies at the site where a new gate will be installed at the refurbished Kingsley Reservoir. Photo: Jurgenhessphotography
Revenue from permit sales will be used to “maintain, develop and manage County Forest recreation and trails” according to the county website.
Permits can be purchased online or on mobile devices at staging areas. The county says permits will eventually be available at select local vendors.
Updates on the project can be found on FID’s website and on the Hood River County website (select “Trail Status” from the “Recreation Trails” section located at the bottom of the page).
Ben Mitchell is an award-winning freelance journalist and videographer based in Hood River. His work has previously appeared in many local publications and outlets, including the Columbia Insight.
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