SALEM, Ore. — Monday night, City Council will consider whether to quickly advance contracts designed to protect Salem’s drinking water source.
With the pending Fall 2026 deep drawdown of Detroit Reservoir — the source of drinking water for residents and businesses in Salem — the council will consider a proposed emergency declaration during their July 28 meeting at Loucks Auditorium. The declaration would ease the process of arranging services and gathering materials and equipment essential to improving the resiliency of the City’s water system.
The drawdown of Detroit Reservoir is detailed in a Biological Opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service in December 2024 as required by the Endangered Species Act. The opinion directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to lower the elevation in Detroit Reservoir to a level not seen since the dam was first constructed over 70 years ago.
The purpose of this deep drawdown is to improve downstream passage of ESA-protected fish. However, the drawdown will also result in high levels of suspended sediments — fine particles of clay, silt and other matter — in the North Santiam River downstream of the dam. High levels of suspended sediment over an extended period of time present a significant risk to the operation of the City’s water treatment plant, which draws water from the North Santiam River at its location on Geren Island.
The Biological Opinion directs the Corps to conduct a deep drawdown of Detroit Reservoir every year in the fall until permanent fish passage improvements are completed by the Corps. The City expects these drawdowns to result in high levels of suspended sediments in the North Santiam River.
High levels of suspended sediment in the intake water will require the City to stop using river water at its water treatment plant, possibly for many weeks. During this period, the City will use other water sources to meet the anticipated demand. These alternative sources include existing groundwater wells on Geren Island, the Aquifer Storage and Recovery system in South Salem, and an emergency supply of drinking water through a connection with the City of Keizer. However, these sources may not meet all of the expected water demand during the drawdown and recovery period in 2026 or the years following.
The City’s Public Works Department is undertaking several initiatives to address the need for alternative water sources. These include a project to construct up to four additional groundwater wells on Geren Island. Public Works is also developing a program to improve its filters at the water treatment plant. In addition, Public Works is starting a project to add a pump station to a second water connection with the City of Keizer.
These initiatives are not expected to be operational until 2027 under standard procurement processes, along with anticipated lead times for well drilling and obtaining the highly specialized pumps and equipment. Under an expedited procurement schedule authorized by the proposed emergency declaration, the projects can be completed by August 2026 ahead of the planned drawdown.
Learn more about Salem’s Drinking Water at CityofSalem.net/drinking-water.
