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.
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
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