A Showdown over the Drawdown took place in a federal courtroom in Eugene on October 6, 2026.

You’ve likely heard about the mandated lowering of the water level in Detroit Reservoir this fall to save the fish. The Drawdown, which could begin in mid-November, would likely create conditions jeopardizing the drinking water of Salem and other jurisdictions. In response to this concern, Marion County and Salem filed lawsuits this past summer to stop or postpone the Drawdown.

Dams on the Willamette River’s tributaries, including the North Santiam, block adult fish from reaching spawning habitat and make it nearly impossible for young salmon and steelhead to migrate downstream to the ocean. Upper Willamette Salmon and Steelhead are federally designated as “threatened” species, and the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), as the dam’s operator, is obligated to protect the imperiled fish. In 2018, conservation groups sued the USACE for jeopardizing the survival of Willamette Chinook and Steelhead. In 2021, a federal judge ordered the USACE to conduct the deep reservoir drawdowns. There is very little actual data documenting whether deep drawdowns increase juvenile fish survival; the current decision to move forward on the drawdown is based mostly on modeling.

Salem’s water comes from the North Santiam River downstream of Detroit Dam and the City is justifiably worried that the flushing from the lowering water level will stir up sediments and raise the turbidity level (cloudiness) in the river. This happened when Green Peter Reservoir was similarly lowered in 2023 and 2024. If this were to occur on the North Santiam, the sediments would clog Salem’s water filtration system making it unusable. That is why, this summer, lawyers for the City and County argued that water filtration systems can be overwhelmed by the turbidity, and that the USACE plan doesn’t adequately address the risk to local jurisdictions.

The impending Drawdown prompted the City Council to approve an emergency declaration in July 2025 which allowed the City to quickly implement protective measures.  The City drilled new groundwater wells at its water treatment facility on Geren Island on the North Santiam. An intertie was installed connecting Keizer’s well water system to Salem’s which will provide the majority of water to West Salem. Accelerated re-sanding of the slow sand filters on Geren Island has been completed to better withstand elevated turbidity. Lastly, the storage capacity of Salem’s aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) system, which typically is used to meet higher demand during summer months, was increased. Combined, Salem’s backup sources can supply 21-23 million gallons per day, which is still short of the peak winter demand of 25 million gallons per day. The City spent roughly $8 million of utility fund reserves on these projects to ensure our water supply.

The pending Drawdown arrives at a time when our state is experiencing drought conditions and a below-average snowpack in the mountains. As Salem continues to grow, so will the demand on our most valuable resource — our water. The proactive measures Salem has taken to prepare us for the Drawdown will also increase Salem’s resilience to future water shortages.

Lastly, the current status of the lawsuit--after hearing the arguments on October 6, the judge said he would issue a decision by the end of October. Should the injunction be upheld, the drawdown, however, would only be paused, while the lengthy case (which started in 2018) would continue.

This issue is a long way from resolution. Stay tuned.