The dam that creates the Mill Stream could be hurting fish. The local watershed council is researching options to change that.

Giant, painted salmon jump down Waller Dam. Art by Addie Martin.

Waller Dam, which has been diverting water from the Mill Creek to create the Mill Race — or Mill Stream — since 1864, is probably hindering the passage of salmon and trout.

In light of that fact, the North Santiam Watershed Council (NSWC), the non-partisan, non-governmental organization which works to manage Salem-area streams, received around $1.8 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2023. The money has funded research into the efficacy of options for improving it and another local dam. In early March, the council will know the results of some of that research.

Salmon and trout used to be in abundance in Salem’s streams. In a 1972 article on the Willamette Heritage Center website, a writer recalled that in 1916, daily trout catching limits were capped at 30 fish per person. 

President of Willamette’s Castaway Club Eyan Hackney (ʼ26) said there hasn’t been a species survey on Mill Creek in 20 years.

Salmon are considered a keystone species. They provide food and ecological benefits to humans and animals alike. They have also long been culturally significant to Indigenous communities of the Willamette Valley.

Giving one example of their benefit, Hackney explained that mussels use the fish in their reproduction process as hosts of larvae. Mussels, in turn, play a crucial role in cleaning streams through filtration, potentially limiting the effects of toxic algal blooms and pollution. Their presence also helps improve riparian vegetation, which can mitigate the effects of rising temperatures on streams, Hackney said.

To allow the passage of these fish, Waller Dam has a fish ladder, but in a November interview, NSWC Executive Director Brandin Hilbrandt said it has “too much of a jump” and is “not necessarily favorable for fish passage.” She said that the NOAA money will help the council “evaluate [the ladder’s] current effectiveness and explore options that better support fish passage.” 

The NSWC sent a similar “project and technical assistance funding” proposal in 2022 as in 2023 in tandem with other local councils. They were not selected. For years prior, a local private citizen had been raising questions about the ecological conditions at Waller Dam to local leaders, Hilbrandt said.

She said that the citizen has remained active in the project as it has developed.

Up in the air

The potential options yet to be analyzed for the future of the dam range from removal to no action at all.

Now with the grant funding, the NSWC council will be able to work to officially assess if the city should improve the dam, and if so, how. 

In November, Hackney, with a focus on conservation, told The Collegian he was interested in seeing the dam removed, even if it meant disrupting the regular flow of the Mill Stream. His club has been studying the stream in preparation for a study on the creek through a grant of their own.

However, he has since said he favors a “V-shaped cutting” improvement being made to the dam, not removal.

Hilbrandt later elaborated, “It's important to also note that there are water rights on Mill Race — water must be conveyed through Mill Race to meet the water right.”

Other ideas floating around include modifying the dam so that it can be raised and lowered, and using a pump to provide flow to the Mill Race, Hilbrandt said.

What’s next

Soon, with the results of the council’s assessments, stakeholders will know what’s actually possible for the future of the dam based on construction capabilities and flood-risk assessment, among other factors.

The results will be presented to a community stakeholder advisory committee, which Hackney said he will be a part of alongside local residents, neighborhood associations, planning commissioners, city council members, state agencies, local organizations, wildlife groups, tribal partners and City of Salem representatives. The committee is intended to guide community feedback into the decision making process.

“What we’d love to see is a community-based decision,” Hilbrandt said.

Following the presentation of the NSWC research results, the committee will help advise the improvement process over two years. Decisions about whether or not to complete an improvement project will lie with the city.

Any actual dam improvements will need a new funding source. The 2023 grant funding was tied to the Inflation Reduction Act. 

The 10-year act, passed in 2022, is now facing stark Republican opposition in the U.S. Congress. 

It allocated $240 million toward salmon passage improvement projects nationwide in the hopes of “restoring habitat for healthy salmon.”

Should salmon again migrate in large numbers through Salem’s center, some Salemites would be able to grab a coffee, set up a lawn chair and watch the migration right in their backyard. 

“How neat would that be?” Hilbrandt asked.