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Dec. 2 update
100%
Clack-A-Mole has completed its journey. Stay tuned as we prepare to retrieve it from the river!
Nov. 26 update
92%
Clack-A-Mole is now only 180 feet from it's final destination and is now tunneling below the Willamette River.
Nov. 13 update
80%
Clack-A-Mole has completed 80% of it's journey to the river.
Nov. 8 update
Did you know the pipe that is being installed for the new outfall is 9 feet in diameter? That can be tough to visualize, so we enlisted one of our engineers to stand next to the pipes and provide some scale.
Oct. 16 update
66%
We have mined 1,575' and have 815' remaining. This puts us at 66% complete.
Oct. 10 update
62%
Clack-A-Mole is 1490' toward its destination in the Willamette River. This means our TBM has completed 62% of its journey thus far!
Oct. 7 update
53%
Approximately 1,262' has been mined. For every 10' we mine, we are removing 27 cubic yards of soil, or about 2 dump trucks worth.
Oct. 1 update
WES Advisory Committee members recently toured the TBM launch site.
Sept. 30 update
44%
Approximately 1,040' has been mined.
Sept. 26 update
35%
We're now about 35% of the way to the river. The average mole is 5"-11". Clack-A-Mole is 51 feet long!
Sept. 24 update
32%
Clack-A-Mole has now mined 770' of the total tunnel length of 2,370'. We're now about 32% of the way to the river. The average mole can dig at a rate of up to 18 feet per hour. Clack-A-Mole is a little slower, averaging about 32 feet a day.
Sept. 19 update
24%
Clack-A-Mole has now mined 560' of the total tunnel length of 2,370'. We're now about 24% of the way to the river. Clack-a-Mole isn't a typical Oregon mole, weighing in at 225,000 lbs. The most common mole in Oregon, the Townsend's Mole, weighs under 5 ounces.
Sept. 16 update
Check out the news package from ClackCo TV as staff and guests celebrated the launch of the Clack-A-Mole tunnel boring machine.
Sept. 12 update
12%
Clack-A-Mole has mined 280 of the total 2,370 feet. We're now about 12% of the way to the river.
Aug. 28 update
Learn more about tunnel boring machines
Copyright Herrenknecht AG
Aug. 27 update
Clack-A-Mole getting lowered in to the shaft
Aug. 19 update
Milwaukie Review News Article: Clackamas County’s tunnel boring machine, Clack-A-Mole, begins work
Aug. 15 update
Staff and guests got to meet Clack-A-Mole as it gets ready to begin it's journey.
The shaft where Clack-A-Mole will start its journey
WES staff in front of Clack-A-Mole
Capital Program Manager Jeff Stallard and WES Director Greg Geist
The inside of the tunnel boring machine
Capital Program Manager Jeff Stallard, WES Director Greg Geist, Commissioner Martha Schrader, Commissioner Paul Savas, WES Assistant Director Ron Wierenga
Aug. 1 update
Construction continues on the Tri-City Water Resource Recovery Facility Outfall Project. Learn more about the project at Tri-City Water Resource Recovery Facility Outfall Project.
Video from July 25, 2024
Pipe being laid out for the open cut portion - July 25, 2024
The shaft where Clack-A-Mole will begin its journey – July 25, 2024
July 29 update
Clackamas Water Environment Services (WES) is starting the construction phase of the Tri-City Water Resource Recovery Facility Outfall Project. In the next seven months, the team will focus on building a ½-mile-long, nine-foot-diameter tunnel using a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM.) This tunnel will house a new outfall pipeline designed to safely transport treated water from the Tri-City Water Resource Recovery Facility in Oregon City to the Willamette River. WES invited the community to submit names for the TBM and after considering numerous suggestions, the name "Clack-A-Mole" was chosen.
Follow along on this page for the latest updates.
Video from July 3, 2024
The shaft where Clack-A-Mole will begin its journey – July 3, 2024
Staging the pipe for installation – July 3, 2024