Flume Replacement - 2004

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The original Davenport Flume, which conveyed water from the diversion on the mainstem of the Hood River through the Farmers Canal to orchardists in the Lower Hood River Valley, was built of wood by Frank Davenport at the turn of the century. In 1964, a flood destroyed the original Davenport flume, and it was replaced in its entirety by a Lennon flume. This flume lasted for 40 years -- until June of 2004 -- when a small earthquake, with its epicenter very near the flume, destroyed about 150 feet of the highest stretch of the flume. Because the flume was destroyed just as irrigation water was beginning to be used in earnest, an emergency pump station was installed to keep water flowing to the orchardists, and the entire length of the Lennon flume was replaced with 1,900 feet of parallel 48-inch diameter PVC pipe, thus eliminating evaporation losses and ensuring safe, reliable delivery of water for decades to come.

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