Salem, Ore. — A weeklong test of Salem’s newest water-supply resiliency measure exceeded expectations, drawing more than 23 million gallons of water from the City of Keizer over five days. The City is now better positioned to continue delivering water to its residential and business customers during the planned drawdown of Detroit Reservoir this fall, which will impact Salem’s drinking water source – the North Santiam River.

 

As part of ongoing preparations for a planned deep drawdown, City staff tested a newly constructed pump station between the City of Keizer and the City of Salem’s water supplies Jan. 26-30.

 

The test began Jan. 26 when staff opened the new pump station at the new connection. Two days later, a second connection was opened to study flow rates with both locations operating at the same time. By the time staff turned off both interties Jan. 30, 23.8 million gallons of water had been collected. 

 

“We want to thank the City and residents of Keizer for being our steadfast partners in this effort, and the Salem City Council for supporting our efforts to prepare for upcoming drawdowns,” said Brian Martin, City of Salem Public Works director. “These connections, along with other resiliency measures, are essential components of our efforts to provide uninterrupted drinking water to our customers even if we are unable to bring in water from the North Santiam River, as may be the case during a deep drawdown of the Detroit Reservoir.”

 

Testing these connections allowed City staff to make observations under conditions similar to those we expect to see at the time of the deep drawdown. The improved connections are 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 river at the intake to Salem’s water treatment facility at Geren Island may require the City to stop using river water, 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.

 

Customers should contact Salem Public Works Dispatch at 503-588-6311 if they have any questions or concerns about their drinking water. Visit https://www.cityofsalem.net/community/household/water-utilities/salem-s-drinking-water to learn more about Salem’s drinking water.