State of the Willamette River

Image taken by me.

Ever wonder if the Willamette River is healthy, and what you can do to help it?

A panel was held on Jan. 29 to cover the state of the Willamette River. Five panelists spoke about their various fields of work and the Willamette River, which they said was better off then it has been in the past. The event was held at 7 p.m. at the Benton County Public Library. Over 70 people turned out for the event.

Panelists included: Travis Williams, Willamette Riverkeepers; Mark Taratoot, City of Corvallis Public Works; Mindy Simmons, US Army Corps of Engineers; Jared Rubin, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality; Karen Hans, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The panel was held in conjunction with the release of a new full color water quality map. It is the first update to the water quality map in 11 years, according to a press release by OSU.

Each panelist spoke for approximately 15 minutes, and each focused on slightly different subjects.

Jared Rubin discussed the quality of the water in the Willamette River. Rubin said that the river does have some water quality issues, but it is much better then it was in the past. Rubin felt that Corvallis has done a outstanding job when helping improve water quality, and was surprised by the large turnout for the event.

Mark Taratoot spoke about water treatment plants and which part of the river Corvallis is in charge of protecting. Taratoot also covered what you can do to help the river.

-Do not put pollutants down storm drains. They are only for water.

-Fix up your property, as run off or erosion are major pollutants to the river.

-Use less pharmaceuticals, things like Ibuprofen. A large portion of the drugs you take do not stay in your system and can be missed by water treatment plants.

-Use non-toxic cleaners around the house.

-Dispose of waste properly.

A number of the panelists agreed that a lot of pollution comes from “non-point sources,” or the general population.

Mindy Simmons focused on the dams built by the United States Army Corps. The dams were built to help with flood control in the Willamette Valley, but they have been the cause of much habitat destruction. Simmons outlined what the Army Corps is doing now to help reverse the damage that have been done. The army takes on at least two major habitat restoration acts per year.

Travis Williams had slides showing much of the Willamette River and focused on the recreational use of the river. He takes part in a annual event called “Paddle Oregon.” A group of people take a canoe or kayak adventure on the Willamette River, and learn more about the river.

Karen Hans spoke about lesser known fishes of the Willamette River. Hans spoke about what these fish do and how they are effect by the habitat destruction caused by dams or pollution.

The panelists felt that some of the river was over polluted, such as the Portland Harbor Superfund site. Overall though they agreed municipal water is healthy and you do not have to worry when drinking it. Also the quality of water outside of Portland harbor is much better.

For more information see the Institute For Water And Watersheds at http://water.oregonstate.edu/ or the Corvallis Environmental Center at http://corvallisenvironmentalcenter.org/