Clean and Healthy Rivers for Oregon
Restoring a legacy of clean rivers in Oregon.
Why We Care
OEC believes that all Oregonians should be free to swim, boat and fish in our rivers – and to eat what they catch – without being concerned about their health. Despite Oregon’s green reputation, our rivers have some serious problems.
- Water in most Oregon rivers is already fully appropriated for human uses in summer and fall, leaving little water in-stream for fish and recreation.
- Resident fish in the Willamette and Columbia Rivers are so contaminated with PCBs and mercury that it is not safe to eat them.
- Every major river in Oregon violates water quality standards.
Today, most of the pollution in Oregon’s rivers comes from urban and agricultural runoff. That means we all must be part of the solution. Read the Clean and Healthy Rivers Fact Sheet [PDF]
What We Do
Urban Runoff
When rain falls onto streets, parking lots, rooftops and lawns, it picks up pollutants such as oil and grease, sediment, pesticides and fertilizers, bacteria and heavy metals. When that runoff enters a stormdrain, it usually ends up in local streams along with all the pollutants it carries. The two key steps to reducing the impacts of urban runoff are preventing pollution from getting into stormwater in the first place and improving the way Oregon’s cities and towns manage stormwater.
OEC is working to help Oregon towns and cities update their stormwater infrastructure to treat, infiltrate, and/or capture stormwater instead of letting it become runoff. We are organizing workshops around the state on water-quality friendly development practices, ensuring that DEQ’s stormwater permits protect Oregon’s rivers, advocating for a state transportation system that includes measures to offset the water quality impacts of roads, and implementing additional recommendations from the Stormwater Solutions Team we convened in 2007.
Love Your River
Ten years ago, OEC published the popular “50 Ways to Love Your River” booklet. Today we are creating a new outreach and education campaign called "Love Your River"—complete with an online toolkit and monthly prize drawings. Sign up for the Love Your River campaign to get monthly action tips, find out how clean your favorite rivers are, and win prizes like camping gear and backpacks when you take action to love your river. Watch for the new loveyourriver.org website coming this fall.
Water Conservation
Global warming is beginning to place further stress on Oregon’s limited water supplies, which is sparking interest in new water storage projects. OEC is working to make water conservation and efficiency a focal point of state water supply policies. We believe it’s smarter, better for the environment, and more cost-effective to invest in conservation first. We are beginning a new research program to identify strategies for increasing agricultural water efficiency in Oregon.
Agricultural Runoff
OEC helps ranchers and farmers reduce agriculture’s impact on our rivers through our Healthy Food and Farms program. We’re also working to make sure the state’s agricultural water quality program, known as Senate Bill 1010, works as well as it should.
Toxics
There is growing evidence that chemicals we use every day, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, are ending up in our rivers. OEC participated in a Drug Take Back task force to develop a safe way to dispose of unwanted pharmaceuticals instead of flushing them down the toilet. In addition, our Kids and Health program helps keep toxic chemicals out of our rivers by reducing their use and replacing them with safer alternatives.
