Difference between revisions of "State of the Beach/State Reports/OR/Water Quality"

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Surfrider Foundation's Oregon chapters, as part of the [http://www.surfrider.org/whatwedo3c.asp Blue Water Task Force] program      monitors    several beaches every month for enterococcus bacteria. Older testing data are available for total coliform and E. coli bacteria. The testing    results can be found [http://www.surfrider.org/BWTFoutput.asp here]. The Surfrider testing program is being expanded and modified to supplement    the state program. [http://bluewatertaskforce.blogspot.com/2009/04/filling-in-financial-shortfalls.html More info].
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Surfrider Foundation's Oregon chapters, as part of the [http://www.surfrider.org/blue-water-task-force Blue Water Task Force] program      monitors    several beaches every month for enterococcus bacteria. Older testing data are available for total coliform and E. coli bacteria. The testing    results can be found [http://www.surfrider.org/BWTFoutput.asp here]. The Surfrider testing program is being expanded and modified to supplement    the state program. [http://bluewatertaskforce.blogspot.com/2009/04/filling-in-financial-shortfalls.html More info].
  
  

Revision as of 00:34, 20 April 2011

Home Beach Indicators Methodology Findings Beach Manifesto State Reports Chapters Perspectives Model Programs Bad and Rad Conclusion


Oregon Ratings
Indicator Type Information Status
Beach Access108
Water Quality65
Beach Erosion6-
Erosion Response-6
Beach Fill5-
Shoreline Structures6 5
Beach Ecology6-
Surfing Areas48
Website7-
Coastal Development{{{19}}}{{{20}}}
Sea Level Rise{{{21}}}{{{22}}}

Water Quality Monitoring Program

BEACH Act
The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act) signed into law on October 10, 2000, amends the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), incorporating provisions intended to reduce the risk of illness to users of the Nation's recreational waters. The BEACH Act authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to award program development and implementation grants to eligible States, Territories, Tribes, and local governments to support microbiological testing and monitoring of coastal recreation waters, including the Great Lakes, that are adjacent to beaches or similar points of access used by the public. BEACH Act grants also provide support for development and implementation of programs to notify the public of the potential exposure to disease-causing microorganisms in coastal recreation waters. EPA encourages coastal States and Territories to apply for BEACH Act Grants for Program Implementation (referred to as Implementation Grants) to implement effective and comprehensive coastal recreation water monitoring and public notification programs. CWA section 406(i) authorizes appropriations of up to $30 million per year to develop and implement beach programs. Unfortunately, only about one-third that amount has been authorized each year since the program's inception. In recent years, the total funding available for BEACH Act grants has been about $9.5 million. Funding beyond 2012 has been in jeopardy, since EPA's budget requests for this program in FY2013 and FY2014 were ZERO (money for testing in 2013 and 2014 was ultimately allocated as part of Continuing Resolutions to resolve the Federal Budget impasse) and there was also no money for beach testing in the FY2015 budget. Again, it was restored at the last minute as part of a Continuing Resolution. It is very discouraging to have to fight for this basic funding to protect the public's health at the beach every year. Thankfully, there is a growing movement to provide stable funding. Unfortunately, in 2017 the situation is even more dire. If available, funds are allocated to the states and territories based on a formula which uses three factors that are readily available and verifiable: (1) Length of beach season, (2) miles of beach and (3) number of people that use the beaches. Oregon was eligible for a $218,000 grant in fiscal year 2016. The federal grants fully fund the Oregon beach monitoring and notification program.


NRDC reported on the status of Oregon's recreational water testing program in their Testing the Waters report, which was released in July 2010:

Oregon has 59 beaches lining 186 miles of Pacific Ocean coastline. There are seven coastal counties: Clatsop, Coos, Curry, Lincoln, Tillamook, Douglas, and Lane.
The state’s beachwater quality monitoring program is administered by the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) conducts beach monitoring through an inter-agency agreement with the DHS.
Monitoring
Sampling Practices: In 2009, sampling occurred from March to November, with more frequent monitoring during the peak season from May to September. Of the beaches that were sampled, some were sampled only during the nonpeak-use season, when they are visited by surfers and wet weather is expected to compromise water quality (9/15/2008–11/19/2008 and 3/9/2009–5/6/2009), while others were sampled only during the peak-use season (Memorial Day to Labor Day).
DHS determines sampling practices, locations, standards, and notification protocols and practices throughout the state. All samples are collected and processed by an Oregon Department of Environmental Quality employee who travels the coastline in a mobile lab. Samples are collected at ankle to knee depth in the middle of typical bathing areas. Beaches are prioritized for sampling based on the number of people recreating in the water, previous water quality data, known and suspected point and non-point pollution sources, and public comments.
Water samples are taken near known or potential pollution sources. Following an advisory during the peak season, an additional sample is collected within 96 hours, if resources are available. The program conducts follow-up monitoring after known sewage spills and major pollution events. States that monitor more frequently after an exceedance is found and after pollution events will tend to have higher percent exceedance rates and lower total closing/advisory days than they would have had if their sampling frequency did not increase after an exceedance was found or after pollution events.
Advisories
Standards and Procedures: In Oregon, the public is guaranteed free and uninterrupted use of all beaches along the coastline. Therefore, beach advisories are issued but closings are not. Oregon uses a single-sample maximum enterococcus standard of 158 cfu/100 ml for beach advisory decisions in marine waters. This standard corresponds to the EPA’s “Moderate Full Body Contact Recreation” value for 19 illnesses/1,000 swimmers. The DHS says its use of a standard that is less strict than the EPA’s “Designated Beach Area” standard is protective of public health, given the small number of swimmers and other recreational users of coastal waters in Oregon. The geometric mean of sampling results is calculated for tracking trends only, not for issuing advisories.
Public notification for beach advisories occurs if a single sample result exceeds Oregon’s action limit. Re-sampling, in lieu of issuing public notification, is acceptable if there is reason to doubt the accuracy or certainty of the first sample, but to date, there have been no exceedances attributed to sampling or laboratory error that required re-sampling prior to the issuance of an advisory.
The state does not have preemptive standards for rainfall but does issue preemptive advisories after a known sewage spill or major pollution event where the potential exists for bacteria indicator levels to exceed the state standard.


Oregon's Beach Monitoring Program (OBMP) began on a limited scale in October 2002. The program commenced on a larger scale in June 2003 and was conducted throughout the remainder of the year. Oregon's Department of Human Services, Environmental Health Division operates the program. The program is run by the Department of Environmental Toxicology Section Beach Monitoring Program and The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The website that describes the program, the beaches tested, and the testing results has recently been updated.


Here is a list of beaches that are currently monitored.


Beach water quality monitoring results (and much more coastline information) are also obtainable through the Oregon Coastal Atlas website.


The environmental organization Heal the Bay (HTB), which is headquartered in the Los Angeles, California area, has now expanded their Beach Report Card to cover beaches in Oregon. HTB has developed an algorithm which converts numerical bacterial indicator monitoring results into a letter grade (A to F).


Surfrider Foundation's Oregon chapters, as part of the Blue Water Task Force program monitors several beaches every month for enterococcus bacteria. Older testing data are available for total coliform and E. coli bacteria. The testing results can be found here. The Surfrider testing program is being expanded and modified to supplement the state program. More info.


The EPA has information on water quality in Oregon, including a fact sheet that notes that 93% of Oregon's surveyed estuarine waters partially support shellfishing use due to periodic violations of bacteria standards. Suspected sources of bacteria include municipal and industrial point sources, agriculture, collection system failures, and urban runoff/storm sewers. In Oregon, 13,687 river miles and 30 lakes do not meet state water quality standards and are listed on the Water Quality Limited Waterbodies 303(d) list. Although the list is significantly larger than in the past, the increase does not signify that Oregon's waters are more degraded than a few years ago. The increase simply reflects the amount of new information considered in developing the list.


The United States Geological Survey (USGS) maintains a website, Water Resources of Oregon. This site is a valuable source of information including current projects, online reports, publications, maps, real-time water conditions, and educational outreach material for teachers and students.

Water Quality Contacts

Oregon Beach Monitoring Program
800 NE Oregon St. Ste. 640
Portland, OR 97232
Phone: 971-673-0400
Program Manager: Curtis Cude
Program Coordinator: Jennifer Ketterman
Research Analyst: David Dreher

Additional Oregon Water Quality Contacts:

Larry Caton
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Laboratory and Environmental Assessment Division
3150 NW 229th, Suite #150
Hillsboro, Oregon 97124
Phone: (503) 693-5726

Greg Pettit
Lead Laboratory Division Administrator
3150 NW 229th, Suite #150
Hillsboro, Oregon 97124
Phone: (503) 693-5705

Ken Kauffman
Toxicology Program Specialist
Oregon Department of Human Services
Office of Public Health Systems
Portland State Office Building
800 NE Oregon St. Suite 608
Portland, OR 97232
Phone: (503) 872-6765

Beach Closures

NRDC reported:

Number of Advisories: Total advisory days for 19 events lasting six consecutive weeks or less increased 23% to 106 days in 2009 from 86 days in 2008, 101 days in 2007, 66 days in 2006, and 117 days in 2005. In addition, there were no extended or permanent events in 2009 or 2008. Extended events are those in effect more than 6 but not more than 13 consecutive weeks; permanent events are in effect for more than 13 consecutive weeks.


Here is a list of current advisories.

Beach Closure Data

2009 Oregon Coastal Beach Advisories were as follows:

County Beach Days
Clatsop Seaside Beach 6
Coos Sunset Bay State Park Beach 18
Curry Harris Beach State Park 28
Curry Mill Beach 1
Douglas Umpqua Beach 2
Lane Florence North Jetty Beach 6
Lane Heceta Beach 6
Lane Oregon Dunes National Rec Area-South Jetty 6
Lincoln Agate Beach 6
Lincoln D River Beach 3
Lincoln Nye Beach 6
Lincoln Otter Rock Beach 6
Lincoln Siletz Bay Beach 6
Lincoln South Beach 6

Source: NRDC, 2010


An incomplete (2006 data only through 4/27/06) yearly summary of beach advisories in Oregon from 2003 onward can be found here.


In May 2010, U.S. EPA released its latest data about beach closings and advisories for the 2009 swimming season. Note that for some states the data is incomplete, making state-to-state or year-to-year comparisons difficult.


NRDC reported:

In 2009, Oregon reported 91 coastal beaches, of which 5 (5%) were monitored once a week and 19 (21%) every other week, and 67 (74%) were not monitored. For the fifth consecutive year, NRDC looked at the percent of monitoring samples that exceeded the state’s daily maximum bacterial standards (all reported samples were used to calculate the 2009 percent exceedance rates, including duplicate samples and samples taken outside the official beach season, if any). In 2009, 1% of all reported beach monitoring samples exceeded the state’s daily maximum bacterial standards. Four beaches had exceedances in 2009: Sunset Bay State Park Beach in Coos County (12%), Mill Beach (9%) and Harris Beach State Park (7%) in Curry County, and D River Beach in Lincoln County (5%).


Coos County had the highest exceedance rate (5%) in 2009, followed by Curry (3%), and Lincoln (1%). Clatsop, Lane, and Tillamook Counties had no exceedances. The beach in Douglas County was not monitored.


Comparing percent exceedance rates with those of previous years, NRDC includes only those beaches monitored and reported each year between 2006 and 2009. For this consistent set of 20 beaches, the percent of samples exceeding the? standard decreased to 1% in 2009 from 3% in 2008, 8% in 2007, and 6% in 2006.

Storm Drains and Sewage Outfalls

No information was found on the location or number of storm drains in Oregon, although the surveys conducted to help build the Coastal Atlas included locating storm drain outfalls.[1] Data concerning the location of storm drain outlets is reportedly stored at the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department office in Newport, Oregon.[2]


Storm drain outlets are not permanently posted for water quality impairment.


Oregon does have sewage treatment plant outfalls which discharge into the ocean. Information on these outfalls can be obtained through DEQ and the local government agency where the treatment plant is located. Following is a table showing the sewage treatment plants on the Oregon coast.


Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) on the Oregon Coast

STP Name Facility ID Hydrocode River Mile Permit Type
Arch Cape 3300/A 11C-ARCH 0.5 Minor
Coos Bay 1 19802/A 14A*COOS 0 Major
Coos Bay 2 19821/A 14A*COOS 0 Major
Bandon 5664/A 14B-COQU 0.5 Minor
Cannon Beach 13729/A 11C-ELK 0 Minor
Seaside 79929/A 11C-NECA Major
Nehalem Bay 61787/A 11D-NEHA 2 Minor
Neskowin 60335/B 11E-NESK 0 Minor
Pacific City 66100/A 11E-NEST 4 Minor
Josephine 61850/A 15=-ROGU 0 WPCF-D
Wedderburn 94335/A 15=-ROGU 0 WPCF-D
Gold Beach 1 109728/A 15=-ROGU 5 GEN02
Gold Beach 2 109728/A 15=-ROGU 5 WPCF-OS
Lincoln City 50677/A 12A-SCHO 0.8 Major
Salishan 78405/A 12A*SILE 3.5 Minor
Port Orford-Langlois 66310/A 14C-SIXE 3.2 Minor
Florence 30058/A 12C-SIUS 4.1 Minor
Lakeside 48568/A 14A-TENM 2.7 Minor
Bay City 6667/A 11E*TILL 0 Minor
Garibaldi 32087/A 11E*TILL 0 Minor
Winchester Bay 98090/A 13C-UMPQ 1.2 Minor
Twin Rocks 90578/A 11E-WATS 0.2 Minor
Brookings 1 11297/A 10=*PACI 460 Major-Gen-D
Brookings 1 11297/A 10=*PACI 460 Major
Depoe Bay 24095/A 10=*PACI 175.6 Minor
H2O & S 41740/jD 10=*PACI 179 Minor
Netarts-Oceanside 60420/A 10=*PACI 0 Minor
Newport 60731/A 10=*PACI 188 Major
Rainbow Rock 90480/A 10=*PACI 419.7 Minor
Yachats 99260/A 10=*PACI 214.5 Minor

In addition, there are industrial facilities that discharge wastewater to the ocean, including Georgia-Pacific's Toledo pulp and paper mill that discharges to the Yaquina River and the ocean under a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.


State coastal management staff considers outdated or undersized treatment facilities and combined sewer overflows to be the greatest regional threats to coastal water quality.[3]


In November 2005 the City of Portland was fined nearly $450,000 for sewage discharges into the Willamette River and its tributaries and the Columbia River and Columbia Slough. Oregon DEQ says raw sewage flowed into waterways 67 times between March 2001 and November 2005. The discharges totaled about 1,875,000 gallons. DEQ has fined the city seven times for water quality violations since 1988.


Prompted by an environmental lawsuit in 1991 and finalized by a 1994 agreement with the state, Portland's "Big Pipe" is the city's biggest city-paid construction project. The expected cost for the system of underground tunnels designed to reduce sewer overflows from Portland to the Williamete River is $1.4 billion.


The East Side CSO Tunnel Project is the largest of these projects. When this project is complete in 2011, the volume of combined sewage and stormwater that now overflows to the river when it rains are predicted to be reduced by more than 94%. The sewer tunnel will be 22 feet in diameter and will be six miles long. The tunnel route will begin at 17th and SE McLoughlin and will end on Swan Island where it will be connected to the Confluent Shaft. Although the exact route is now being determined the tunnel will be built under SE 3rd Avenue in the Central Eastside Industrial District.


The West Side CSO Tunnel is a 14-foot diameter, 3-1/2 mile long tunnel that will capture sewage and stormwater on the west side of the Willamette River. The tunnel extends from SW Clay Street to Swan Island.


Here's more information on the projects and Combined Sewer Overflows.


Oregon’s Nonpoint Source (NPS) Management Plan identifies the pollution management programs, strategies and resources that are currently in place or that are needed to minimize or prevent nonpoint source pollution effects. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has the responsibility of overseeing and implementing the State’s NPS Management Program by coordinating with many local, State and federal agencies and organizations throughout the State of Oregon.


The 2005 NPS Program Annual Report, the 2006 NPS Program Report, the 2007 NPS Program Report, the 2008 NPS Program Report and the 2009 NPS Program Report are available.


Oregon has developed a Water Model Quality Code and Guidebook. It is the result of a collaborative effort between the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). The document was prepared to assist cities and counties interested in reducing impacts on water quality from urban development activities. The ordinances address urban non-point pollutant sources, which have been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Marine Fisheries Service as having the potential to degrade surface water, ground water, and/or aquatic habitat. The model code and guidance also addresses water quality issues related to flood mitigation under the National Flood Management Act. For more information check out the OOCMP special projects page.


Additional information on storm water management planning can also be found on the DEQ Water Quality website.


To facilitate and promote incorporation of low-impact development (LID) practices into new development and help address the urban management measures for new and site development, Oregon's Coastal Nonpoint Program, in partnership with Oregon SeaGrant, developed a new Program entitled "Show off your Runoff." Show off Your Runoff is a component of a larger program, Rainstorming, a technical assistance program that supports local governments in their efforts to adopt storm water management standards. The "Show off Your Runoff" program targeted to the Rogue River Valley, and Oregon's south and north coasts, promotes LID demonstration projects in areas where little is known about low impact storm water designs. Local governments, property owners or developers can apply to the Show off Your Runoff Program for assistance with a planned development. The Show off Your Runoff Program then provides design and engineering assistance to develop alternative storm water management options for the proposed development.


In the Program's first year, they assisted two developments. Both projects were very receptive to the recommendations and design suggestions they received. One project is underdevelopment now and is incorporating the LID design elements into the development. The other project is scheduled for development in late winter/spring and also plans to implement the recommendations they received from the Program. Recommendations included incorporating water quality treatment swales and rain gardens, using native vegetation, reducing impervious surfaces, using previous paving, and ensuring that detention and infiltration structures are designed to adequately infiltrate and treat runoff.


In addition to providing direct assistance for individual projects, the Storm Water Quick Response Program also plans to use the projects they fund to educate the local development community and public about practical, attractive approaches to storm water management. This year, the state plans to fund 3-4 additional projects. For additional information, contact Amanda Punton.

Water Quality Contact (Runoff and Outfalls)

Amanda Punton

Coastal Specialist

800 NE Oregon St # 18, Suite 1145

Portland, OR 97232

Phone: (503) 731-4065, x32

Perception of Causes

NRDC reported:

Causes of Advisories: For the 19 events lasting six consecutive weeks or less, 42% (44) of advisory days in 2009 were due to monitoring that revealed elevated bacteria levels, 40% (42) were preemptive (i.e., without waiting for monitoring results) due to heavy rainfall, and 19% (20) were preemptive due to known sewage spills/leaks.
Reported Sources of Beachwater Contamination: 40% (42) of closing/advisory days were from stormwater runoff, 42% (44) were from unknown sources of contamination, and 19% (20) were from sewage spills/leaks.


According to Oregon’s 2004 305(b) report and based on probabilistic stream surveys conducted from 1994 to 2001, 19 percent of approximately 21,500 surveyed stream miles exhibit poor water quality, as measured by water chemistry under the Oregon water quality index. The state uses the index to rate water quality over time in terms of temperature, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, pH, total solids, ammonia and nitrate nitrogen, total phosphorous, and fecal coliforms. However, the Oregon report focuses primarily on water quality trends over time, rather than on relative water quality conditions at specific sites. As a result, it is difficult to determine whether specific water bodies meet given environmental criteria. Based upon the water quality index, 6 percent of the total assessed stream sites in Oregon exhibited a trend of significantly declining water quality. The percentage of stream sites assessed in previous reports to have significantly improving water quality increased from 8 percent in 1990 to 70 percent in 1998, but decreased to 51 percent in 2001. The percentage of stream sites in the 2004 report exhibiting significant increases in water quality decreased further to 32 percent of surveyed sites. The percentage of monitored stream sites with significantly declining water quality in previous reports increased from 1 percent in 2000 to 5 percent in 2001, and increased again in 2004 to 6 percent. Additionally, the 2002 303(d) report identifies 13,700 total stream miles that fail to meet criteria for at least one pollutant. Despite a net gain of 1,000 stream miles that now meet criteria, 5,000 new streams miles have been listed as failing to meet criteria for at least one pollutant.


Although causes of beach closures and health advisories have yet not been determined, OOCMP staff believes that non-point source pollution is the greatest regional threat to coastal water quality. Additional causes are believed to include outdated or undersized treatment facilities, Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO) and Pulp Mill effluent (in certain areas).[4] They believe that there is a strong correlation between heavy rainfall events and high bacteria readings leading to health advisory postings at the beach.


Samples from the ocean off Mill Beach and Harris Park State Beach have been taken daily since 2005 by a research team headed by Frank Burris, an Oregon State University Extension faculty member based in Gold Beach. Steve Dicicco, beach technician for Oregon State University Extension, has also conducted tests along with Burris. Their work indicates that failing septic tanks and the feces of household pets are the primary suspects linked to unhealthy bacteria that continues to plague several Brookings creeks and beaches.


Beachgoers at Sunset Bay State Park near Coos Bay have seen signs warning of bacterial contamination in the water in recent years. In response, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is working with researchers from the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and Oregon State University to determine where it comes from and how long it lasts. Part of the federally funded project began in February 2007 when marine biologist Steven Rumrill and research assistant Ben Grupe placed a device in Big Creek to measure the amount of fresh water that enters the bay from the creek and to monitor its salinity, temperature, acidity and conductivity. Grupe said it's the first step to understanding potential factors behind the contamination. The device will track flow and water quality during a variety of weather conditions. The two researchers have several ideas about the cause, including feces from sea gulls and sea lions on the beach, or from elk living along the Big Creek or from homes near Lighthouse Beach.


Harmful algal blooms were a problem off the Oregon coast in 2004-2005, as they were in the Northeast (Cape Cod to the Gulf of Maine), along the west coast of Florida, and in southern California. Following are excerpts from an article on this subject that appeared in the Statesman Journal on October 3, 2005:

Researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Oregon [have] issued a news release saying that algae blooms and the resulting toxins appear to be on the rise. And the likely causes, the scientists said, are global climate change and increased human impact on the coast.
One recent bloom significantly elevated levels of a toxin called domoic acid in Oregon razor clams that prompted a summerlong ban. And that followed several other regional closures during the past two to three years.
People who eat shellfish with high levels of domoic acid may suffer vomiting, diarrhea, disorientation and memory loss. In severe cases, domoic acid can result in comas and even death.
Two Oregon scientists -- one from Oregon State University and the other from the University of Oregon -- are trying to identify the toxic blooms as they occur by combining satellite imagery and sampling information in a project paid for by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They believe that certain areas, including the Heceta Bank off the central Oregon coast, may act as "incubators" for blooms of Pseudonitzschia, a phytoplankton species that can turn toxic, creating domoic acid. When consumed by shellfish, it accumulates in their tissues.
"Historically, the first warning sign we get for these toxic blooms is when domoic acid shows up during routine testing of razor clams and other shellfish -- and by then it's a done deal," said Peter Strutton, an assistant professor at Oregon State's College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. "Unlike the phytoplankton species that causes red tides off Florida, the blooms off Oregon don't have characteristic pigment that makes them easily visible.
A number of different phytoplankton species bloom regularly off the Pacific Northwest coast and, in fact, are important in fueling the marine food chain, he said. But a breakdown in the metabolic process of Pseudonitzschia creates domoic acid, according to Michelle Wood, a professor of biology at the University of Oregon.
The researchers are comparing recorded levels of toxicity in razor clams, mussels and other shellfish with archival satellite data showing sea surface temperatures and "ocean color" -- chlorophyll levels and rates of fluorescence -- in the same regions that the shellfish testing took place.
One area of interest is the Heceta Bank, which bulges out off the Oregon Coast.
"Harmful algal blooms are the negative side of coastal upwelling," Strutton said. "There is growing evidence that these blooms have been increasing over the last 20 years and not only are becoming more frequent, but more intense and with longer duration.
"We also are starting to record toxic events in places that haven't had them, so there is a concern that they may be spreading. The spreading could be caused by the transport of phytoplankton in the ballast water of ships."
Strutton said global climate change leading to warmer ocean waters is one theory behind the increasing incidents of harmful algal blooms.


In July 2006 it was announced that a hypoxic "dead zone" had formed off the Oregon Coast for the fifth time in five years, according to researchers at Oregon State University.


A fundamental new trend in atmospheric and ocean circulation patterns in the Pacific Northwest appears to have begun and apparently is expanding its scope beyond Oregon waters. This year for the first time, the effect of the low-oxygen zone is also being seen in coastal waters off Washington.


There have been reports of dead crabs stretching from the central Oregon coast to the central Washington coast. Some dissolved oxygen levels at 180 feet have recently been measured as low as 0.55 milliliters per liter, and areas as shallow as 45 feet have been measured at 1 milliliter per liter. These oxygen levels are several times lower than normal, and any dissolved oxygen level below 1.4 milliliters per liter is hypoxic, capable of suffocating a wide range of fish, crabs, and other marine life.


Shipbreaking

Because of concerns about the release of invasive species and toxic materials that can come with dismantling old ships, two coastal lawmakers in Oregon have introduced legislation that would make Oregon the first state in the nation to require shipbreaking be done in fully contained dry-docks so nothing escapes into the water. The bill was prompted by reaction to efforts by a Virginia shipbreaking company when it tried to find a site in Oregon to open the only West Coast facility to dismantle ships from the "Ghost Fleet" of deteriorating government vessels.

Public Education

In 2008 Oregon's beach monitoring program participated in two Children’s Clean Water festivals to educate citizens about the Beach Program, marine water quality issues and actions people can take to protect their health and preserve marine environments. The coastal watershed model used at these festivals will continue to be used to help increase the awareness of the beach monitoring program and provide an understanding of the importance of water quality. Also in 2008, the program held its Third Annual Clean Beaches Art Contest for fourth and fifth graders. The students were asked to create an art piece that communicated how certain everyday activities can affect our oceans. In addition to these outreach activities, program staff visited city halls, visitor centers, chambers of commerce, local health departments, parks, surf shops, hotels and other businesses along the Oregon coast and provided program brochures. An annual newsletter titled Beach News is used to create awareness of new information and to keep individuals up to date on program happenings.


Information on Oregon's beach monitoring program can be found here and here.


The Water Model Quality Code and Guidebook was noted above.


The source document cited above is aimed at cities, not at the general public. Pollution prevention information for the general public can be found on DEQ's website.


The Oregon Rain Garden Guide, produced by Oregon Sea Grant at Oregon State University, is the state’s first stormwater management resource for both novices and expert landscapers. An increasing number of Oregonians are disconnecting downspouts, building rain collection barrels and planting rain gardens to harvest water from their businesses, schools and front yards.


General Reference Documents


EPA has compiled several NPS (Nonpoint Source) Outreach Products that are a selection of television, radio, and print products on nonpoint source pollution that have been developed by various agencies and organizations around the country. They are good examples of outreach in the mass media. Also see What You Can Do.

NOAA, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, International City/County Management Association and Rhode Island Sea Grant, has released an interagency guide that adapts smart growth principles to the unique needs of coastal and waterfront communities. Smart Growth for Coastal and Waterfront Communities builds on existing smart growth principles to offer 10 coastal and waterfront-specific guidelines that help manage development while balancing environmental, economic, and quality of life issues.


Footnotes

  1. Paul Klarin. Personal communication. November 6, 2002.
  2. Paul Klarin, OOCMP. Surfrider State of the Beach Survey response. November 2003
  3. Paul Klarin, OOCMP. Surfrider State of the Beach Survey response. November 2002.
  4. Paul Klarin, OOCMP. Surfrider State of the Beach Survey response. November 2003.



State of the Beach Report: Oregon
Oregon Home Beach Description Beach Access Water Quality Beach Erosion Erosion Response Beach Fill Shoreline Structures Beach Ecology Surfing Areas Website
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