Two lawsuits filed over the past week allege the drinking water systems that serve more than a quarter of a million Willamette Valley residents are being harmed by a federal agency that says it’s trying to help threatened fish.
Both lawsuits stem from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ efforts to improve habitat for Endangered Species Act-listed Chinook salmon and steelhead fish – fish held back by the 13 large dams the agency operates on the Willamette River and its tributaries.
In Marion County, commissioners say they’re worried the Army Corps’ plan to draw down Detroit Lake to its lowest levels in history could affect drinking water systems in Salem and other communities nearby – and could affect wildfire response, agriculture and tourism in the Santiam Canyon area. The county sued the Army Corps on Wednesday, asking a judge to stop that drawdown until the federal agency finishes a report on how it could affect their water treatment systems.
Further south, the cities of Albany and Millersburg sued the Army Corps Friday over their own drinking water concerns…