PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The cities of Lebanon and Sweet Home filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the United States Army Corps of Engineers, alleging the Corps mismanaged the Green Peter Reservoir, causing $37 million in damages.
The lawsuit alleges that the Corps violated the Administrative Procedures Act and the Clean Water Act. The suit focuses on the 2023 court-ordered drawdown at the Green Peter Dam in Linn County, with the cities alleging that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to implement any sediment control measures.
The drawdown, which decreased the reservoir’s water levels in order to help the Chinook and steelhead populations, elevated turbidity levels in the South Santiam River, according to the lawsuit. The cities said this increased the sediment load in their water treatment facilities that the systems were not prepared for — leading to higher operational costs, equipment damage and expensive pretreatment upgrades.
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Among the damages highlighted in the lawsuit, the City of Sweet Home claims that the high turbidity levels created a “sludge blanket buildup” in the city’s facility…