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Council approves interlocal agreement with Salem for limited water-sharing in emergencies
Summary
Woodland Hills and Salem approved an interlocal agreement to permit limited emergency water sharing up to a capped flow (subject to infrastructure and metering); the arrangement depends on upgrades that 3 Bridges is expected to fund as part of project infrastructure.
The City Council approved an interlocal agreement with the City of Salem to enable limited, reciprocal water sharing between the two cities in emergencies, subject to infrastructure upgrades and metering.
Under the agreement, cities may supply potable water to one another “if available” during emergencies up to a specified flow rate (city staff discussed a planning figure of roughly 100 gallons per minute). City staff said the arrangement is intended as a mutual-aid measure, not a permanent transfer of water rights. Any practical sharing will require infrastructure modifications — including a dual flow meter and changes to the Woodland Hills booster station — so flows can be metered and billed. Staff said the necessary facility changes will be negotiated as a separate agreement, and developer 3 Bridges has indicated it would fund some related infrastructure work as part of its project, though those terms remain to be finalized in the developer‑city MOU.
The council motion approving the interlocal agreement noted it only takes effect once the physical infrastructure to enable sharing is in place. City staff emphasized the agreement does not convey or transfer water rights and that 3 Bridges does not own the city facilities; any developer‑funded improvements would be public infrastructure owned by the city. The council voted unanimously to approve the interlocal agreement.
What happens next: staff will draft and execute the separate infrastructure agreement, specify metering arrangements and ensure any developer contributions are reflected in formal contracts before any water-sharing is enabled.
