The Cleaner Rivers for Oregon Report
In this report you'll find examples of the great work that is happening around the state to clean up Oregon's rivers.
In this report you'll find examples of the great work that is happening around the state to clean up Oregon's rivers. Each of these projects makes a difference, and by working together we can turn around the fate of our rivers. The Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) is working to ensure that state policies protect water quality and support these local efforts, and we're helping people find out what they can do to make sure our rivers are safe places for Oregonians to swim, play and fish.
No matter where you are at this moment, you are in a watershed. When
a drop of water hits the ground, if it is not absorbed by plants or allowed to
soak into the soil, it will eventually make its way downhill into a river,
bringing with it any pollutants it picks up along the way. Our actions impact
water quality even when we are not right next to a stream. You can help clean
up Oregon's
rivers by using the tips in this report, and additional tips are available in
OEC's booklet “50 Ways to Love Your River.”
Sources of information
Our data comes from a government report called the 303(d) list. Every two years, Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) develops a list of streams and rivers that do not meet minimum water quality standards (named the 303(d) list after the section of the Federal Clean Water Act that requires it). We used the most recent version, which is the 2004/2006 303(d) list. You can find the 303(d) list here. Each time the list is updated, additional miles of rivers are added if they are found to be exceeding pollution limits. Rivers are removed from the list when water quality improves, or when a plan is developed to manage the culprit pollutants. The process of developing such a plan can take several years. Every single one of Oregon's major rivers is on the 303(d) list for one pollutant or another, most for many pollutants. OEC is especially concerned about listings for bacteria and toxics because of the dangers they pose to human health.
The challenge we face in interpreting the 303(d) list is that it is based on numerous data sources gathered in an ad-hoc way, and water quality monitoring is not consistent from river to river. In some cases a river segment may be listed for a pollutant because it tested positive at one location several years ago, but it has not been tested since, and other rivers have never been tested for that pollutant. Federal and state funding for implementing the Clean Water Act and monitoring Oregon's waters is woefully inadequate, leading to these data gaps. We supplemented the information in the 303(d) list by contacting local watershed groups and reviewing scientific watershed assessments.
It is important to note that the state of water quality in Oregon's largest rivers is greatly impacted by the tributaries that feed into them. In most cases, water quality declines as you move from a headwaters stream down a river to its mouth, because pollutants are added and surrounding lands change from forested to agricultural and urban. But in some cases smaller streams have unique water quality problems that become diluted once they reach a major river. Taking action to protect and restore streams and uplands throughout a watershed can improve the conditions of our major rivers and provide important habitat for fish and wildlife. Water quality is impacted not only by pollution, but also by water flow, streamside vegetation, and changes to the stream channel, and these factors are important for overall stream health.
Alert Levels
Red Alert: Columbia and Willamette: These rivers have serious water quality problems, including toxics that are dangerous to human and aquatic health.
Orange Alert: Malheur, Owyhee and Snake: These rivers have significant water quality problems, often including toxics and bacteria.
Yellow Alert: Deschutes, Grande Ronde, John Day, Rogue and Umpqua These rivers have some water quality problems, but they do not violate standards for toxics and they have some stretches that are in relatively good
condition.
Green Alert: No major Oregon rivers: These rivers have good water quality and they do not violate Clean Water Act standards.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Jubitz Family Foundation, the Clean Water Network, the Norcross Wildlife Foundation, and Bill and Julie Young, all of which helped make this report possible.
READ ON: What is polluting Oregon’s rivers?
DOWNLOAD: The complete report in PDF format [PDF 1.7 MB]
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