Current Water Source - The North Santiam Watershed

Salem and eight other communities draw from streams in the North Santiam River Watershed as their primary drinking water source. The Watershed covers more than 700 square miles and includes Mt. Jefferson, Three-Fingered Jack, the Bull of the Woods and Mt. Jefferson Wilderness areas, and the Opal Creek Resource Conservation Area. The watershed is largely forested. Nearly all of the land within the Watershed–about 96 percent–is in public ownership, but it also includes several small communities and agricultural land in the lower portion of the basin. Water flowing from the North Santiam River Watershed is of very high quality.

North Santiam Watershed

Nine Communities Drink From the North Santiam River Watershed