Salem, Ore.— After a day of high water, water levels on Salem area creeks are receding. The Level 1 – BE READY alert has been lifted. Sandbag filling stations remain open and stocked.
Beginning tonight and into tomorrow, City staff will be shifting attention to water levels on the Willamette River. The Willamette River through Salem is expected to crest at 23.8 feet by 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 20. This is 4.2 inches below the minor flood stage. The river will be moving quickly through Salem and residents are asked to use caution near and around the water.
Due to high water conditions, some City parks are fully or partially closed, while others have signage warning about high water. Saturday visitors to Minto-Brown Island Park should remain vigilant about high water on trails throughout the park. Salem area parks impacted by high water conditions include:
- Pringle Park: closed
- Woodmansee Park: Parking Lot #3 closed
- Cascades Gateway Park: open, but high-water signage is in place
- Minto-Brown Island Park: open, but high-water signage is in place
- Wallace Marine Park Sports Complex: open, but high-water signage is in place
At this time, three streets remain closed due to high water:
- 24th Street SE and Trade Street SE
- Richmond Avenue SE and Trade Street SE
- 21st Street SE between State Street and Ferry Street SE
You can monitor stream conditions, traffic conditions and find sandbag locations through Salem’s websites:
- Our High Water Watch webpage https://hww.onerain.com/ features up-to-the-hour information on Salem stream levels and local rainfall amounts.
- Sandbag filling stations are available at several locations: https://www.cityofsalem.net/community/safety/flooding/get-sandbags
- Current Road Conditions (including closures): https://www.cityofsalem.net/community/transportation-getting-around/traffic-road-conditions/current-road-conditions-map
See Salem’s Emergency and Disaster Preparedness webpage to see up-to-date information about stream levels, current road conditions, and additional high water safety tips to protect your home.
Contact the Public Works Dispatch Center any time at 503-588-6311 to report high water or other weather-related concerns. Sign up for Community Alerts to receive emergency notifications.
