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Good morning, Northwest.
Detroit relies heavily on its reservoir for business.
Some residents fear federal plans to lower the Detroit Lake to its lowest levels ever will have an economic impact on Detroit, which is still recovering from the devastating 2020 wildfire that destroyed much of the town.
OPB reporter Joni Land spoke with locals to understand how Detroit Lake — and the different types of salmon it is home to — are so important to their local economy.
In other news, in the last 24 hours an atmospheric river fell across the Pacific Northwest, flooding multiple rivers, closing schools and leaving people without power.
Here’s your First Look at Wednesday’s news.
— Sukhjot Sal
Dean O’Donnell, who’s lived in Detroit for 25 years and used to run the local grocery store, walks his dogs on a dry part of Detroit Lake’s bed, typical of a winter drawdown of the reservoir, in Detroit, Ore., on Dec. 6, 2025.
Eli Imadali / OPB
Feds plan on lowering Detroit Lake to lowest levels ever. That has locals concerned
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is considering lowering Detroit Lake to its lowest levels ever, starting in the fall of 2026.
It’s part of an effort to help threatened Chinook salmon move downstream. But some local residents and surrounding communities argue such a significant drawdown could create dirtier water and damage the sportfishing industry in Detroit.
But the fish that many are concerned about is a different type of salmon. Kokanee are a freshwater salmon that were added to lakes, such as Detroit, in part to compensate for declining native salmon populations, like Chinook.
Dean O’Donnell has lived in Detroit for more than 25 years. He lost his home in the 2020 wildfires, which he eventually rebuilt. O’Donnell said the town can handle the drawdown if it refills completely during the summer.
“If they can’t fill the lake, we’re in trouble,” O’Donnell said. “We are that dependent on the lake as far as our economy goes.” (Joni Auden Land)
The original F.H. Steinbart sign, which was refurbished at some point, hangs in the storied Portland, Ore., store as shipping manager Jeff Hoffman talks on the phone with a customer on Dec. 4, 2025. Open since 1918 and the oldest home brew shop in the country, F.H. Steinbart is closing this month due to a shifting industry where it’s increasingly difficult to survive as a brick-and-mortar shop.
Eli Imadali / OPB
3 things to know this morning
- For a long time, Portland was the destination for folks who drink and brew beer. Now, breweries across Oregon seem to be closing practically every day. And F. H. Steinbart Company, thought to be America’s oldest home brewing supply store, is joining the exodus. (Heather Arndt Anderson)
- An atmospheric river brought several inches of rain within 24 hours to Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington, flooding at least two rivers, closing schools and leaving people without power yesterday. (Kristian Foden-Vencil and April Ehrlich)
- Tomorrow, the Oregon Water Resources Commission will vote on whether to designate the Harney Basin as a critical groundwater area. A coalition of irrigators, elected officials and tribes hopes the Commission will take their recommendations into account, but they aren’t counting on it. (Alejandro Figueroa)
An irrigation pivot in Harney County, May 27, 2019. Farms here raise alfalfa
Emily Cureton Cook / OPB
Headlines from around the Northwest
- Congress approves Secure Rural Schools funding critical to rural Northwest counties (April Ehrlich)
- Washington attorney general, lawmakers propose new law to protect immigrant workers (Johanna Bejarano)
- Right-wing influencer to sue Portland for $10 million after arrest at ICE protests (Troy Brynelson)
- Feds deny petition to list two Oregon Chinook salmon populations as endangered (Roman Battaglia)
Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation
“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):
- Beaverton mother and daughter share their experience with family caregiving
- Expansion of Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria proceeds despite loss of federal grant
- City official, nonprofit leaders on why Portland’s traffic deaths have fallen
Lounge with a poolside view of steelhead in the Umpqua River in 4K 60fps — OPB’s Slow TV
Watch steelhead gather near the base of a waterfall on their way to their spawning grounds in a creek feeding the Umpqua River in Oregon.
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