Salem To Test Second Connection To City Of Keizer Water Supply As Drawdown Preparations Continue - 01/22/26
Salem, Ore.— As part of ongoing preparations for a planned deep drawdown of Detroit Reservoir later this year, City staff will test a newly constructed pump station between the City of Keizer and the City of Salem’s water supplies Jan. 26.
During the test, both the new connection and the existing connection will be opened and evaluated for several days.
Testing these connections will allow City staff to make observations under conditions similar to those we expect to see at the time of the deep drawdown. Your drinking water will remain safe during our connection to Keizer’s reliable groundwater system, though customers (primarily in the West and Northeast Salem areas) may notice a slight difference.
This new connection is one of several resiliency measures authorized by the City Council in July to prepare the Salem water system for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers planned deep drawdown of Detroit Reservoir that will occur in late fall or early winter 2026.
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 built 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.
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 several weeks. During this period, the City will use other water sources to meet the anticipated demand. These alternative sources include existing and new groundwater wells on Geren Island, the Aquifer Storage and Recovery facility in South Salem, and an emergency supply of drinking water through a connection with the City of Keizer. These sources should meet the expected water demand during the drawdown and recovery period in 2026 and the years following.
New measures will not only increase our alternate water sources for the drawdown, but also will make our drinking water system more resilient in the face of other disruptions, such as the recent flooding.
In December 2025, City staff opened the first connection to the City of Keizer’s water supply for seven days following a major storm, taking in about 25 million gallons of water to meet demand from Salem’s water customers. All drinking water remained safe during this time. The storm limited drinking water production capabilities at the City’s Geren Island Water Treatment Facility. As planned and previously tested, Salem was able to draw water from Keizer, groundwater wells at Geren Island and our Aquifer Storage and Recovery facility.
Customers should contact Salem Public Works Dispatch at 503-588-6311 if they have any questions or concerns about their drinking water.