What to know about Salem’s water emergency and what’s being done to prevent it – Oregon Public Broadcasting – OPB

Report on Salem’s Proactive Water Management in Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: A Preventative Emergency Declaration

The City of Salem has issued a proactive emergency declaration concerning its drinking water supply. This measure is not a response to a current crisis, as the city’s water remains safe for consumption. Instead, it is a strategic action to preemptively address a future challenge, aligning with the principles of resilience and sustainability outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Balancing Urban Needs and Ecosystem Health: An SDG Interplay

SDG 14 & 15: Protecting Life Below Water and on Land

The primary driver for this situation is an action mandated by the National Marine Fisheries Service to support aquatic ecosystems.

• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to perform a deep drawdown of the Detroit Lake Reservoir in the fall of 2026.
• This action is designed to lower water levels to create a more natural river flow, facilitating the passage of endangered baby salmon to the ocean.
• This measure directly supports SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) by seeking to restore and protect freshwater ecosystems and halt biodiversity loss.

SDG 6: The Challenge to Clean Water and Sanitation

While beneficial for wildlife, the reservoir drawdown poses a significant threat to the region’s water infrastructure, directly impacting the achievement of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) for approximately 200,000 residents.

• The drawdown is expected to release decades of accumulated sediment, causing extreme water turbidity (muddiness).
• Turbidity levels are projected to spike from a normal of 10-20 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) to as high as 1,000 NTU.
• Salem’s primary water treatment facility utilizes a slow sand filtration system, which is highly effective but cannot operate with such high levels of sediment.
• This could result in an inability to treat water from the North Santiam River, leading to a potential water shortage for residential use and critical services like firefighting.

A Strategy for Resilience: Investing in Sustainable Infrastructure (SDG 9 & SDG 11)

Objectives and Procedural Actions

The city’s emergency declaration is a key component of a larger strategy to build resilient infrastructure, a cornerstone of SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

1. Avoid a Future Crisis: The primary goal is to implement necessary upgrades before the 2026 drawdown to prevent a water shortage.
2. Expedite Infrastructure Development: The declaration allows the city to bypass slower, standard government contracting rules to ensure projects are completed on time.
3. Ensure Community Safety: The plan aims to maintain sufficient water reserves, including the 50% of reservoir capacity dedicated to firefighting, thereby safeguarding the community.

Planned Infrastructure Upgrades

The city is undertaking a multi-faceted approach to diversify its water sources and enhance treatment capacity.

• Development of Alternative Water Sources: New groundwater wells are being established to supplement the primary river source, building redundancy into the system.
• Aquifer Storage and Recovery: Utilization of an existing aquifer storage system in South Salem to provide additional water.
• Inter-Agency Connection: Enhancing an intertie with the city of Keizer to supplement supply during periods of high turbidity.
• Treatment Facility Improvements: Upgrades at the Geren Island treatment plant, including resanding filters to better manage increased sediment loads.

Governance, Partnerships, and Financial Responsibility (SDG 17)

Project Funding and Economic Impact

The financial plan for these upgrades is structured to minimize immediate impact on residents while seeking collaborative funding solutions, reflecting SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

• The estimated one-time cost for the necessary upgrades is approximately $8 million.
• This initial cost will be covered by the city’s existing utility fund, which is funded by water and sewer rates and operates separately from the city’s general fund. This ensures no impact on services such as police, fire, or libraries.
• The city is actively working with its congressional delegation to secure federal funding to offset costs associated with this federal mandate, highlighting a partnership between local and national government.
• While immediate utility rates are not affected, the potential long-term operational costs of continued drawdowns remain a consideration for future financial planning.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: This is the central theme of the article. The entire discussion revolves around the City of Salem’s efforts to ensure a continuous and safe supply of drinking water for its residents in the face of a potential crisis caused by high water turbidity.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: The article explicitly states that the reservoir drawdown, which is the root cause of the water quality issue, is being done to “improve downstream passages for endangered fish” and “flush baby salmon through the dams.” This action directly relates to the protection of freshwater ecosystems and threatened species.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The issue impacts the resilience of the City of Salem. The potential water shortage affects 200,000 residents and critical services like firefighting. The city’s proactive measures, such as infrastructure upgrades and emergency declarations, are efforts to enhance urban resilience and ensure the safety of its inhabitants.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: The article details the need for significant infrastructure projects to handle the water crisis. This includes “developing alternative drinking water sources” and “making improvements at the primary treatment facility.” These actions focus on building resilient infrastructure to support human well-being.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The situation involves collaboration between multiple government bodies. The article mentions the City of Salem, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Congress. The city is “working with our congressional delegation to try to secure some additional funding,” which highlights the multi-level partnerships required to address the challenge.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
  • Target 6.1: “By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.” The article’s focus is on the city’s efforts to prevent a drinking water shortage for “about 200,000 residents,” thereby maintaining safe and universal access.
  • Target 6.3: “By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution…” The problem is not chemical pollution but high sediment levels (turbidity) in the raw water source, the North Santiam River. The city’s plan to upgrade its treatment facility to handle water with “spikes as high as 1,000 NTU” directly addresses the need to manage poor source water quality.
  • Target 6.b: “Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.” The Salem City Council’s unanimous approval of an emergency declaration is a direct example of a local governing body taking action to manage its water resources.
• SDG 15: Life on Land
  • Target 15.5: “Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.” The reservoir drawdown is a measure mandated by the National Marine Fisheries Service specifically to aid “endangered fish” (salmon) on their journey to the ocean.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Target 11.5: “By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and… caused by disasters, including water-related disasters…” The city’s proactive emergency declaration and infrastructure plan are designed to prevent a water shortage, which is a type of water-related disaster. The article also notes the potential impact on firefighting capabilities, a key component of disaster response.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
  • Target 9.1: “Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being…” The article details plans for an “$8 million” investment to “prepare and upgrade the city’s water system.” This includes building new groundwater wells and improving the treatment facility to create a more resilient water supply system.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services (Indicator 6.1.1): The article implies this indicator by stating that “About 200,000 residents across Salem, Turner and parts of unincorporated Marion County would be affected.” The success of the city’s measures would be keeping this entire population supplied with safe water.
• Ambient water quality (Implied for Target 6.3): The article provides a direct, measurable indicator of water quality: turbidity. It states, “Typically, we operate in the range of 10 to 20 nephelometric turbidity units, referred to as NTU,” and that the drawdown could cause “spikes as high as 1,000 NTU.” The goal for treated water is “less than 0.1 NTU.” These values can be used to measure the challenge and the effectiveness of the treatment upgrades.
• Total official development assistance (grants and loans) to the water and sanitation sector (Implied for Target 9.1/17.17): The article mentions the “estimated cost to prepare and upgrade the city’s water system for this is roughly $8 million” and that the city is working with its “congressional delegation to try to secure some additional funding.” The amount of federal funding secured would be a measurable indicator of financial support for infrastructure.
• Disaster risk reduction strategy (Implied for Target 11.5): The city’s emergency declaration and the detailed plan to build alternative water sources and upgrade the treatment plant constitute a disaster risk reduction strategy. Its implementation and budget ($8 million) are tangible indicators.
• Red List Index (Implied for Target 15.5): While not providing a number, the article’s entire premise for the drawdown is to help an “endangered fish” species (salmon). The long-term indicator of success for this action would be an improvement in the conservation status of the local salmon population.

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary

Source: opb.org