Detroit Lake is a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

impounded by the Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River southeast of

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The lake is adjacent to

Oregon Route 22 Oregon Route 22 is an Oregon state highway that runs between the Oregon Coast community of Hebo, Oregon, Hebo, to a junction with U.S. Route 20 in Oregon, U.S. Route 20 near Santiam Pass in the Cascade Mountains. OR 22 traverses several hi ...

near the city of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. This

mesotrophic lake The Trophic State Index (TSI) is a classification system designed to rate water bodies based on the amount of biological productivity they sustain. Although the term "trophic index" is commonly applied to lakes, any surface water body may be ind ...

stores water for use by the city of Salem and other nearby communities.

History

DETROIT LAKE AT SHOWN AT AN ALLTIME LOW IN THE FALL OF 1973 DUE TO INFREQUENT SNOWFALL AND RAIN THE YEAR BEFORE

Detroit Lake is situated over a historical road bed of the former Oregon Pacific Railroad. This route was built by Colonel T. Egenton Hogg as a proposed

transcontinental railroad A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous rail transport, railroad trackage that crosses a continent, continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks may be via the Ra ...

. Because of a lack of funding, the line terminated in Idanha, southeast of the lake. Idanha had rail service until the 1950s, when the track was removed for installation of the Detroit and Big Cliff reservoirs. Detroit Lake was created in 1953 after the completion of the dam. Part of the Willamette Valley Projects, the lake was intended primarily for flood control and power generation but has become one of the major

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...

resources in western Oregon.

Details

The reservoir has a capacity of of water when full and in the summer when drawn down. Located in the North Santiam Canyon, the long lake has shoreline of when full. One swimming opportunity is at the Mongold Day-Use Area (an Oregon State Park). Detroit Lake is stocked by the

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is a state government, government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for programs protecting Oregon fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. The agency operates hatcheries, i ...

with 125,000 catchable

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...

along with fingerling rainbow, kokanee and

chinook salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Oncorhynchus, Pacific salmon. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include king salmon, quinn ...

. A self-sustaining population of brown bullhead catfish resides in the lake. Detroit Lake offers year-round fishing in still water and not in or near the rivers and streams. It is one of 32 lakes federally designated for recreation, managed by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

. The lake serves many purposes including flood control, water conservation, and recreation. There are many camping and recreation opportunities at Detroit Lake. In 2009, a new winter boat ramp was constructed, making it possible to launch a boat safely during the winter months when other ramps are on dry ground.

Water levels

The water level fluctuates with snow pack, precipitation, and the water consumption of Salem, and surrounding areas. At low pool, it has a surface elevation of ; at the full pool season—typically May 1 to September 1—it can raise up to a water elevation of . In 2015 and 2016 low water levels in the reservoir impacted recreation, the operation of marinas and the economy in the Santiam Canyon.

References

External links

FLRCDL: Federal Lakes Recreation Committee for Detroit Lake websiteDetroit Lake State Recreation Area Detroit Lake
- US Forest Service
Army Corps of Engineers: Hourly Detroit Lake Levels

Army Corps of Engineers: Plot of lake level for last 12 months

{{authority control Reservoirs in Oregon State parks of Oregon Lakes of Marion County, Oregon Lakes of Linn County, Oregon Parks in Marion County, Oregon Parks in Linn County, Oregon Buildings and structures in Marion County, Oregon Buildings and structures in Linn County, Oregon Willamette National Forest

History

Details

Water levels

See also

References

External links