Danielle Bethell

“Any changes to Detroit Lake’s water level must be grounded in data-backed science with meaningful protections in place for our downstream communities,” said Commissioner Danielle Bethell. “This lawsuit seeks to address the Army Corps’ lack of compliance with federal law and protect our local residents from potentially catastrophic results. We will continue working to ensure that decisions made at the federal level align with the needs of local communities, focusing on drinking water and our canyon recovery.”

SALEM, OR — Today, the Marion County Board of Commissioners formally announced that the county has filed a lawsuit asking the United States District Court to order the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to pause efforts to drain Detroit Lake until the Army Corps completes the turbidity report required by federal law and allows informed public comments. Congress required the Army Corps to evaluate lessons learned from turbidity problems caused by a similar draining of nearby Green Peter Lake, but the Army Corps is over four months past the legal deadline. The announcement that the lawsuit was filed today was made during a regularly scheduled Board Session.

The Army Corps has proposed draining Detroit Lake to such a low level that it risks having insufficient water for municipal, agricultural, recreational, and environmental uses. And, available water will have higher turbidity, harming water quality and costing downstream cities like Stayton and Salem millions of dollars in infrastructure repairs/upgrades. In December 2025 and January 2026, Marion County submitted multiple formal letters to the Army Corps voicing strong concerns and requesting modifications to address the many foreseeable risks.

“The damage to downstream water systems due to the Army Corps’ irresponsible draining of Green Peter Lake was not theoretical” said Commissioner Colm Willis, Chair. “It was real, it was catastrophic, and it caused millions of dollars in damages to downstream water systems in the cities of Lebanon and Sweet Home. The City of Salem has already declared an emergency and smaller communities like Stayton are scrambling to try to prevent similar damage to their water systems. The Corps should follow the law and revise its plan to ensure our downstream communities are protected.”

Read the full release: https://www.marioncountynews.org/news/county-sues-us-army-corps-of-engineers-over-plan-to-drain-detroit-lake

Big Congratuations to Justice Kidd!

Marion County Justice of the Peace Receives Carson Award — Marion County Board of Commissioners News The Marion County Bar Association (MCBA) has selected Marion County Justice of the Peace Justin Kidd as the recipient of the Carson Award for service to the community, recognizing his sustained commitment to public service.