Marion County Makes Its Case In Federal Court To Stop Detroit Lake Drawdown - 10/06/26

SALEM, OR — A coalition of Marion County, the City of Salem, the City of Stayton, and the Santiam Water Control District made their case in federal court today, asking the U.S. District Court to halt the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to drain Detroit Lake below its minimum conservation pool this fall. Their arguments centered around concerns of harm to water for drinking, firefighting, and agriculture for more than 220,000 downstream residents. After hearing arguments from all sides, U.S. District Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai took the matter under advisement and is expected to issue a ruling in the coming weeks.

“We made our case today, and we made it clearly: the Army Corps is moving forward with a catastrophic plan without safeguards for the people who depend on this water,” said Commissioner Colm Willis, Chair. “Whatever the outcome, we will keep using every tool available to protect our residents, our water, and our local economy.”

Marion County will provide an update once the Court issues its decision.

Read the full release: www.marioncountynews.org/news/marion-county-makes-its-case-in-federal-court-to-stop-detroit-lake-drawdown