The city of Salem will begin a multi-day test Monday of its new connection to the Keizer water supply in preparation for the Detroit Lake drawdown planned for late this year.

The test will open the Salem-Keizer pump connections for up to a week, according to public works spokesman Jason Roberts. Some residents in northeast and West Salem may notice a change in the color of their water during this time, though city officials say changes in color, taste or smell are “unlikely,” Roberts said. 

The new pump is the second connection between Salem and Keizer. It is one of a few safeguards city officials fast tracked to fortify the water supply ahead of the Detroit Lake drawdown, which is set for fall or winter of this year. Those safeguards, which are set to be completed this year, also include new groundwater wells and upgrades to the city’s sand filters.

Keizer draws its water from an aquifer, while Salem relies on the North Santiam River downriver from Detroit Lake. 

Increased sediment levels from the drawdown has been among the top concerns from city and county officials. 

Elevated sediment levels could strain the sand filters at the Geren Island Water Treatment Plant, where the city cleans its water. That could force the city to stop drawing from the river altogether, and instead rely on alternative water sources for as long as “several weeks,” according to a Thursday city news release. 

Those sources would include the Keizer supply, groundwater wells at the treatment plant or reserves from the Aquifer Storage and Recovery facility in south Salem. The release said the alternative sources could supply enough water during the 2026 drawdown and recovery period thereafter. 

Salem uses about 25 million gallons of water per day, Roberts said. The two Keizer connections will provide 6 to 9 million gallons per day to Salem.  

A December 2024 biological opinion from the National Marine Fisheries Service required the drawdown to support young salmon and steelhead fish populations in the river. It would decrease the water level by 55 feet, Greg Taylor, the Army Corps’ supervisory fisheries biologist for the project previously told Salem Reporter. 

The first Keizer connection was last used in December when the city took 25 million gallons over seven days following a storm. Salem drew from all three alternative sources in that time, and all drinking water remained safe, the release said. 

 A Jan. 12 letter from city officials asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider delaying the drawdown to allow them time to test new wells. County officials made a similar request in a Dec. 16 letter, asking the Corps to pause the drawdown until more tests on projected sediment levels could be conducted.  

The county sent out two more letters Jan. 13 that warned the drawdown could cause millions of dollars of damage to water supply systems and harm fish populations in the lake.

The city and county’s recommendations will be considered and incorporated in the Corps’ next  Environmental Impact Statement in the spring. The 45-day public comment period on the drawdown proposal concluded Jan. 13.

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Have a news tip? Contact reporter Hailey Cook: [email protected] .

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