Willamette Drawdown Updates: For Wild Fish and Local Communities

This fall and winter, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will lower reservoir levels at Cougar, Green Peter, Lookout Point, and Fall Creek as part of ongoing efforts to recover endangered wild spring Chinook salmon and winter steelhead in the Willamette River Basin. These drawdowns - temporary, seasonal reductions in reservoir depth - help juvenile fish migrate downstream safely.

Drawdowns are designed to mimic a more natural river system, giving young fish a clear path to the ocean and, ultimately, helping them return as adults to spawn in their homewaters. While these changes can bring short-term challenges - such as muddier water or limited recreation opportunities - the long-term goal is clear: restoring a self-sustaining future for Oregon’s wild fish and the rivers we all depend on.

Less than 3,200 late-run winter steelhead returned on average from 2008 to 2020 – nearly a 70% drop since the 1970s, when data was first available. We need lasting solutions to protect salmon now, and that means conducting these sustained seasonal deep drawdowns at the Willamette dams.

“We know that these drawdowns in the past have created challenges around [water turbidity] and we do hear those concerns," said Jennifer Fairbrother, Legislative and Policy Director for Native Fish Society. "Everyone deserves clean and safe drinking water. But that also shouldn't be in conflict with doing what we need in order to restore our salmon and steelhead runs. We can do both. We can deliver clean drinking water, and we can protect our natural landscapes.”

The Army Corps has announced that similar fall drawdowns will continue each year until permanent fish passage structures are in place. In the meantime, Native Fish Society and partners across the Willamette Basin will continue working to ensure communities, rivers, and wild fish benefit from these operations.

For more background information, view our FAQs on Willamette River Basin reservoir drawdowns originally published in fall 2024. And stay tuned for continued updates throughout the season!

If you have questions or concerns about the drawdowns or other Willamette Basin issues, please don’t hesitate to contact us.