The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving forward with a plan to drop Detroit Lake to the lowest water level in its history, but in a slow and methodical way intended to avoid impacting drinking water for 210,000 people in Salem and Stayton.
The federal agency is taking public comment and holding five public meetings about a plan that would drop the reservoir lower each December, toward nearly empty levels, beginning in 2026.
The so-called “deep drawdown” is aimed at helping endangered juvenile salmon migrate through the dam and reach the ocean, helping rebuild declining fish runs in the North Santiam…