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Staton officials continue outreach as Detroit Dam drawdown talks proceed
Summary
City leaders said they have been briefing state and federal officials about how a proposed Detroit Dam drawdown could affect Staton's slow sand filtration system, and that technical differences between Staton's system and those in other communities remain a central concern.
Staton city staff and elected officials said Tuesday they have been meeting with state and federal representatives to explain why a proposed drawdown at Detroit Dam risks producing turbidity levels their water treatment system cannot tolerate. Julia, a city staff member, told the council she and other local leaders have briefed the governor's office, the regional solutions team and representatives from the Legislature, and have met with lobbyists to elevate the issue.
The matter matters because Staton relies on a slow sand filtration process at its water treatment plant; council and staff said that process behaves differently from the treatment systems used in nearby communities. Barry, a public works staff member, told the council the Corps of Engineers''planned "subtle" drawdown approach would still produce turbidity 10 to 15 times higher than Staton's system can tolerate.
"The subtle drawdown approach that the corps is talking about, from what we've heard, their limit of turbidity that they're still talking about is still 10 to 15 times what we can stand," Barry said.
City staff said their outreach has moved discussions forward. Julia said meetings with Representative Diehl and others initially revealed a lack of understanding about the technical differences between Staton's slow sand filter and the other communities' systems; she said the education and follow-up meetings have helped. Officials said they also expect additional meetings with the Corps and visits by Salem and other cities to help clarify the technical distinctions.
City staff and councilors described ongoing, behind-the-scenes coordination with state and regional offices, and said they expected more meetings soon to press Staton's concerns. Barry offered to provide deeper technical briefings to council members or to meet with policymakers and the public outside the council meeting when more detail would be appropriate.
No formal vote or binding action was recorded on Tuesday; staff said they are continuing outreach and coordination with regional partners and the Corps and will report back as discussions progress.
