The Salem City Council unanimously approved an emergency declaration Monday night to help it prepare for a potential drinking water shortfall next year.

The declaration is tied to an upcoming deep drawdown of the Detroit Lake Reservoir, which is set to take place next fall, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The reservoir supplies water to the North Santiam River, which is the city’s main source of drinking water. About 200,000 residents across Salem and its surrounding areas would be affected by the potential shortage. It could also affect firefighting resources.

Monday’s declaration will now allow the city to activate its emergency operations center, authorize spending to “reduce the threat to life and property” and enter agreements with vendors and other agencies to develop alternative water supplies. It’ll also expedite the procurement process to secure services and resources needed to improve the city’s water supply.

Officials with the city’s Public Works Department at Monday’s meeting estimated the cost to prepare and upgrade the city’s water system in response to the drawdown would be $8 million. This would include building new groundwater wells as well as an additional pump at the city’s emergency water supply station.

The drawdown will bring the reservoir’s water to its lowest level since the Detroit Dam was built in the early 1950s. The measure is being done to improve downstream passages for endangered fish, including young salmon.

Flushing so much water from the reservoir will also release decades’ worth of sediment that’s been trapped behind the dam. When similar deep drawdowns happened at the Green Peter and Lookout Point dams in the Willamette Valley, the river water turned brown and the silt taxed drinking water plants serving downstream towns such as Albany and Lebanon.

According to the city of Salem, a drawdown of Detroit Lake would similarly “muddy” the water and make it harder for the city to collect and clean it at its Geren Island Water Treatment Plant.

Earlier this year, Congress ordered the Corps of Engineers, which operates the dams, to study how to avoid causing problems downstream with its drawdowns. That could include helping cities below the dams engineer alternative water systems.

Some alternatives for Salem include potentially tapping into its emergency supply from the city of Keizer or using its groundwater wells on Geren Island. The city also has an Aquifer Storage and Recovery system in south Salem, which could provide up to 5 million gallons per day.

But even with all those water sources combined, the city said it still doesn’t provide enough water to meet the daily demand of about 24 to 25 million gallons for its residents and businesses. It will still need to develop other water sources.

Andria Allmond, a spokesperson for the Army Corps’ Portland District, said the agency has been working with the city to ensure the health and safety of the community and environment as it moves through its drawdown process.

“Our shared goal is to implement solutions that protect endangered species while ensuring the continued provision of safe, clean drinking water for Salem residents,” Allmond said in an email to OPB. “Through ongoing collaboration and community engagement, we aim to achieve a balanced approach that serves both environmental and public health interests.”

The agency is conducting a supplemental environmental impact statement to assess potential impacts, including those on water quality and local communities.

The drawdown is expected to begin fall of 2026 and will last at least 30 days.

OPB’s Tony Schick contributed to this story.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/28/salem-approves-emergency-declaration-drinking-water/