Salem To Temporarily Open Connection To City Of Keizer Water Supply; Water Remains Safe To Drink
- 12/22/25
Salem, Ore.— While drinking water provided to more than 200,000 residential and business customers continues to be safe to drink, some residents may see a slight change in the taste, odor or color of their water as we open our connection to the City of Keizer Dec. 23.
Recent storms have limited drinking water production capabilities at the City’s Geren Island Water Treatment Facility. In response, we will pump about five million gallons per day from the City of Keizer’s water system. This will account for about 20 percent of the average daily demand during this time of year.
Groundwater wells at Geren Island and our Aquifer Storage and Recovery wells were also activated.
We plan to use the Salem-Keizer connection until the muddiness of the North Santiam River decreases enough so that the Geren Island Water Treatment Facility can resume regular operations. This could take several days, but your drinking water will remain safe throughout the process.
Salem water customers, primarily in the West Salem area, could notice a slight change in the taste or appearance of their water. The City of Keizer uses groundwater for drinking water, while the City of Salem’s primary drinking water source is the North Santiam River. Blending the two water sources may somewhat change the taste, odor or color of the water.
Customers should contact Salem Public Works Dispatch at 503-588-6311 if they have any questions or concerns about their drinking water. For more information about Salem’s Drinking Water, visit https://www.cityofsalem.net/community/household/water-utilities/salem-s-drinking-water.
Salem To Temporarily Open Connection To City Of Keizer Water Supply; Water Remains Safe To Drink
- 12/22/25
Salem, Ore.— While drinking water provided to more than 200,000 residential and business customers continues to be safe to drink, some residents may see a slight change in the taste, odor or color of their water as we open our connection to the City of Keizer Dec. 23.
Recent storms have limited drinking water production capabilities at the City’s Geren Island Water Treatment Facility. In response, we will pump about five million gallons per day from the City of Keizer’s water system. This will account for about 20 percent of the average daily demand during this time of year.
Groundwater wells at Geren Island and our Aquifer Storage and Recovery wells were also activated.
We plan to use the Salem-Keizer connection until the muddiness of the North Santiam River decreases enough so that the Geren Island Water Treatment Facility can resume regular operations. This could take several days, but your drinking water will remain safe throughout the process.
Salem water customers, primarily in the West Salem area, could notice a slight change in the taste or appearance of their water. The City of Keizer uses groundwater for drinking water, while the City of Salem’s primary drinking water source is the North Santiam River. Blending the two water sources may somewhat change the taste, odor or color of the water.
Customers should contact Salem Public Works Dispatch at 503-588-6311 if they have any questions or concerns about their drinking water. For more information about Salem’s Drinking Water, visit https://www.cityofsalem.net/community/household/water-utilities/salem-s-drinking-water.