Salem leaders asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take more steps to protect the city’s drinking water during the deep drawdown planned for Detroit Reservoir in late 2026.
The Corps’ current plan, which is being undertaken to help downstream passage for Endangered Species Act-protected salmon, addresses many of the city’s current concerns, leaders said, pointing to commitments to start the drawdown in late November or early December to minimize impacts to Salem’s water supply and limit the drawdown to two weeks.
But city leaders said they remain worried about the absence of turbidity triggers — ways to identify corrective actions based on the murkiness of the water…