A coalition of Marion County, the City of Salem, the City of Stayton, and the Santiam Water Control District made their case in federal court today, asking the U.S. District Court to halt the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to drain Detroit Lake below its minimum conservation pool this fall. Their arguments centered around concerns of harm to water for drinking, firefighting, and agriculture for more than 220,000 downstream residents.

"I'm incredibly honored to be selected to be a part of this work," said Commissioner Bethell. “I look forward to working with county leaders from across the country, sharing about Marion County and Oregon, and bringing back ideas that will help us reach our local youth facing housing challenges."

In the ongoing lawsuit Marion County filed against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop the draining of Detroit Lake, the Army Corps made an astounding claim: That their administrative record, which is the foundation of their review and decision to drain the lake, shouldn’t be seen by the Court or Marion County before the judge determines whether they can move forward with their potentially catastrophic plan this fall.