# The Dalles Watershed Development Act: What It Means

This bill transfers about 150 acres of federal forest land from the U.S. Forest Service to the City of The Dalles, Oregon. The land is currently part of the Mount Hood National Forest. If the city requests the transfer within one year of the bill passing, the federal government will hand over ownership of this specific parcel to the city at no cost to the government.

The city will own the land outright and can use it however it wants, though the transfer comes with some strings attached. Any existing rights on the land—like utility easements, mining claims, or other legal agreements already in place—stay in effect. The city will have to pay for all the costs involved in making the transfer happen, including surveying the exact boundaries and preparing the legal paperwork. The Forest Service can also add additional conditions to the transfer if it thinks that's necessary to protect federal interests.

For residents of The Dalles, this could mean the city gains a valuable asset it can develop, use for recreation, or manage for water resources (hence the bill's name referencing watershed development). For the broader public, this represents a permanent loss of federal forest land that was previously managed by the Forest Service. The practical impact depends entirely on what The Dalles decides to do with the property once it takes ownership.

Dalles Watershed Development Act

Bentz, Cliff

The Dalles Watershed Development ActThis bill provides for the conveyance of approximately 150 acres of National Forest System land located in the Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon from the Forest Service to the City of The Dalles, Oregon. If the city requests Interior to convey the land within a year of this bill's enactment, then the Forest Service must convey the land to the city as soon as practicable.The exact acreage and legal description of the National Forest System land to be conveyed must be determined by a survey satisfactory to the Forest Service.&nbsp;The conveyance must be (1) subject to valid existing rights; (2) made without&nbsp;consideration (i.e., made without the transfer of value, such as money); (3) made by a quitclaim deed; and (4) subject to such additional terms and conditions as the Forest Service determines to be appropriate to protect the interests of the United States.As a condition of the conveyance, the city must pay the costs associated with the conveyance, including the cost of a survey.