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PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
How much is a river
worth? Try $170 million
Art Gregg, one of the state's oldest World War II
veterans, and his daughter Ann Snelling flip
through a book she made him at his home in
Silverton on Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. MICHAELA ROMÁN /
STATESMAN JOURNAL
World War II
pilot Art Gregg
turning 100
Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Several views of the North Santiam River can be had from trails in Minto County Park. ZACH URNESS / STATESMAN
JOURNAL FILE
Millions of dollars can be lost when something goes wrong
Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The North Santiam River has an impact of $170 mil­
lion  each  year  from  uses  including  municipal  water
for 235,000 people in cities like Salem and Stayton,
recreation on the river, hydropower and irrigation, ac­
cording to an ECONorthwest report.
And  millions  of  dollars  are  lost  when  something
goes wrong, such as the toxic algae blooms at Detroit
Lake last summer.
The ECONorthwest report – which cost $30,000 —
was commissioned by the North Santiam Watershed
Council and  the  Oregon  Business  Council and  was
funded  by  Meyer  Memorial  Trust,  Marion  Soil  and
Water Conservation District, Marion County and Sa­
lem. It was the first to address the economic impact of
the river.
The report comes as the U.S. Army Corps of Engi­
neers,  which  manages  Detroit  Dam,  has  proposed
draining  Detroit  Lake  to  a  level  below  previous
drought stages for one to three years to build a cooling
tower and aid in fish passage up the North Santiam
River.
The Corps of Engineers is under a legal mandate to
correct  water  temperatures  to  save  the  endangered
Willamette  River  Steelhead and  Upper  Willamette
River Spring Chinook.
The Corps' plans have worried residents and river
users.  Draining  Detroit  Lake  would  damage  recrea­
tion use at the lake and all along the 100­mile­long riv­
er, plus it could restrict agriculture irrigation and force
cities to find other sources of drinking water.
When a drought or some other issue befalls the riv­
er, the impact is felt in multiple ways, according to the
report:
܂ Each year there is a shortage of water in the North
Santiam costs between $2 million and $3.6 million in
lost outdoor use of the river.
܂ The  84,421 residential  households  that  depend
on water from the North Santiam for drinking water 
See RIVER, Page 2A
Oregon graduation rates
up across the board
Natalie Pate
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Oregon  is  seeing  more  students  graduate  high
school, with increases across the board regardless of
demographics. 
More than 78 percent of all eligible high schoolers
in Oregon graduated in four years in 2017­18, accord­
ing  data  released  Thursday  by  the  Oregon  Depart­
ment of Education.
This is a 2­percentage­point increase from the pre­
vious year and brings Oregon the closest it has been in
recent history to having 80 percent of students gradu­
ating on time.
Even  when  looking  at  individual  demographics,
Oregon's numbers have all increased.
Regardless  of  gender,  disability  or  economic  sta­
Online at SilvertonAppeal.com
News updates: ܂ Breaking news ܂ Get updates from
the Silverton area
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tus, race or language background, every single group
saw gains this past school year.
Among  the  students  with  the  largest  increases
were students experiencing homelessness, who saw
about a 4­percentage­point increase; Native Hawai­
ian/Pacific Islander students, who saw about a 6­per­
centage­point increase; and American Indian/Alaska
Native  students,  who  also  saw  about  6­percentage­
point increase.
"It's  important  to  remember  that  we  are  talking
about  students,  not  statistics,"  Colt  Gill,  director  of
the Oregon Department of Education, said in a state­
ment. "In this case, a two­point increase in gradua­
tion means an additional 950 students getting their
diplomas within four years of starting high school."
See GRAD RATES, Page 2A
Vol. 138, No. 7
Serving the Silverton
Area Since 1880
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SILVERTON – In 1943, Art Gregg was a fresh­faced
23­year­old seeing another part of the world for the
first time.
Gregg, who grew up on a farm in Ohio dreaming of
being a pilot, was stationed about 20 miles south of
Ledo, India for his duty with the United States Army
Air Corps.
But  when  dozens  of  Japanese  Zero’s swooped
down from the sky to attack the base on February 25,
1943, Gregg ran for his P­40 and managed to take off
while under attack and give chase.
Gregg was among a group of American pilots who
shot down at least 28 planes that day. He was credit­
ed with shooting down one.
See VETERAN, Page 3A
Fishing groups want
to keep hatchery fish
in North Santiam
Zach Urness
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Oregon fishing groups are fighting a plan to elim­
inate summer steelhead from the North Santiam Riv­
er.
Last  October,  the  U.S.  Army  Corps  of  Engineers
confirmed it was eliminating funding for a program
that releases 121,000 summer steelhead smolts into
the river east of Salem.
The hatchery­raised fish are the only ones anglers
are  allowed  to  catch  and  bring  home  for  dinner,
meaning that ending the program will effectively kill
steelhead fishing, state officials said. 
See FISHING, Page 4A