Oregon communities fight plan to drain reservoir

Marion County and the city of Salem are asking a federal judge to block the Army Corps of Engineers from lowering Detroit Lake by 55 feet this winter, arguing the drawdown threatens Salem's sole drinking water source on the North Santiam River. The Corps says the plan, finalized earlier this year as part of a 13-dam Willamette Basin environmental review, is needed to help juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead migrate past the dam through lower outlets rather than through hydropower turbines.

Salem's attorneys told Judge Mustafa Kasubhai the drawdown would raise sediment and turbidity levels enough to overwhelm the city's slow sand filtration system, forcing reliance on emergency reserves or costly repairs. Plaintiffs also raised an El Niño forecast, warning the reservoir might not refill to its minimum conservation pool by February, risking water supply shortfalls.

Environmental groups intervening on the Corps' side argued the drawdown is critical to prevent fish deaths, not just a theoretical risk to an endangered species but actual fish kills at the dam. Kasubhai said he intends to rule before the end of the month and ordered the Corps to notify the court before starting any drawdown ahead of Nov. 15.

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