1. Oregon
Water Quality
Report Card
Michael Mulvey
December 12, 2012

2. Outcome Based Management
 Organizational processes measures
 Environmental outcomes measures
Three Environmental Report Cards:
 Land Quality
 Air Quality
 Water Quality

3. Intended Audiences: Spatial Scales:
 DEQ Management Land Use
Basin
 Oregon Legislators
Sub Basin
 Natural Resource Agencies Site (Segment?)
 Environmental groups
 Oregonians
 Brief
Rely on Indices not raw data:
 Easy
Environmental indices have
strengths and limitations  Clear
 Accurate
 Timely
 Visually appealing

5. The Massachusetts WQRC

6. Report Card Elements
Indicator Beneficial Use Monitoring Status In RC prototype?
Water Chemistry Aquatic Life On going Yes
Contact Recreation Swimmable Waters- On going Yes
Human Health
Groundwater Drinking Water- Mostly discontinued Yes
Quality Use
Beneficial
Aquatic Life Use
Indicator
Human Health
Water Quality
Data Source
OWQI, Ambient Monitoring Network
Water body
Larger Rivers
Contact Recreation Use Human Health Bacteria (Amb Mon), Harmful Algal Larger Rivers, popular lakes
Blooms (OHA)
Biological Integrity
Drinking water Aquatic Life
Human Health Discontinued
Groundwater studies Yes
Groundwater
Aquatic Life Use Biological Integrity Macroinvertebrate community scores Mostly wadeable streams but
from Oregon Plan and other some larger rivers
Fish Toxics Fish Edibility- On going
monitoring
Partially
Fish Consumption Human Health
Human Health OHA fish consumption advisories Lakes and Rivers
(Fish Tissue)
DEQ Toxics Monitoring data Rivers
Water column Fish Edibility- On going Not yet
toxics
Fish Consumption Human Health
Human Health DEQ Toxics Monitoring Data Rivers
(water column)
Water column
Aquatic Life Use Aquatic Life and
Toxics water
sediment
On going
DEQ Toxics Monitoring Data Not yet
Rivers
toxics
Not part of the RC prototype but should be:
Bays, estuaries, beaches, lakes, wet lands, temperature.

7. Water Contact
Description Groundwater Biology Fish Edibility
Chemistry Recreation
Willamette Basin 86 0.83
Lower Willamette Sub Basin 65 0.59
Clackamas Sub Basin 93 0.96
Tualatin Sub Basin
55 1
Molalla-Pudding Sub Basin 71 0.85
Yamhill Sub Basin 1
81
Mid Willamette Sub Basin
88 1
North Santiam Sub Basin 94 0.89
South Santiam Sub Basin
1
McKenzie Sub Basin
93 1
Coast Fork Willamette SubBasin 1
Middle Fork Willamette Sub Basin 1.1
Upper Willamette Sub Basin 1
87

8. Water Contact
Description Groundwater Biology Fish Edibility
Chemistry Recreation
Lower Willamette Sub Basin 65 0.59
Willamette R. @ Hawthorne Br. Fair Good
Willamette R. @ SP&S RR Br. (Portland) Fair Good
Swan Island Channel (Willamette R.) Poor Good
Columbia Slough @ Landfill Rd. Very Poor Good
Johnson Ck. @ SE 17th Ave. (Portland) Very Poor Poor
Blue Lake
Fairview Lake
Laurelhurst Pond
Lake Oswego
Mid-Multnomah 1995 3
Milwaukie 1989 3
Sauvie Island 1985 2
X Columbia Slough: Willamette Zone, Multnomah County, PCBs
the full length of the slough from the mouth of Fairview Lake
X Portland Harbor: Extending from the Freemont Bridge PCBs
northward to Sauvie Island
X Willamette River Main stem, including the Coast Fork to Mercury and PCBs
Cottage Grove Reservoir.: The mainstem of the Willamette
X Willamette River Main stem, including the Coast Fork to Mercury and PCBs
Cottage Grove Reservoir.: The mainstemZone Willamette
X Lower Columbia River: Columbia River of the PCBs

9. Contact
Water Contact Recreati
Description Water Chem Issues
on
Chemistry Recreation
Issues
Lower Willamette Sub Basin 65
Willamette R. @ Hawthorne Br. Fair Nut, BOD Good
Willamette R. @ SP&S RR Br. (Portland) Fair Nut, T, BOD Good
Swan Island Channel (Willamette R.) Poor Nut, DO, T, BOD Good
Columbia Slough @ Landfill Rd. Very Poor Nut, DO, BOD, TS Good
Johnson Ck. @ SE 17th Ave. (Portland) Very Poor Bact, Nut, BOD, TS Poor Bacteria
Blue Lake Algae
Fairview Lake Algae
Laurelhurst Pond Algae
Lake Oswego Algae

10. Contact Fish
GW Issues
Water Water Chem Impairments (OWQI Ground Contact Recreati
Biology
Description (O/E bug
Edibility (
Chemistry sub index) water Recreation on OHA
Issues scores) advisories)
0.80
Urban 0.20
Clackamas R. @ High Rocks Excellent BOD Good
Willamette R. @ Salem Excellent Good
Willamette R. @ Hawthorne Br. Fair Nut, BOD Good
Willamette R. @ SP&S RR Br. (Portland) Fair Nut, T, BOD Good
Swan Island Channel (Willamette R.) Poor Nut, DO, T, BOD Good
Fanno Ck. @ Bonita Rd. (Tigard) Very Poor Bact, Nut, DO, BOD, TS Poor Bacteria
Beaverton Ck. @ 216th St. (Orenco) Very Poor Bact, Nut, DO, BOD, TS Good
Columbia Slough @ Landfill Rd. Very Poor Nut, DO, BOD, TS Good
Tualatin R. @ Boones Ferry Rd. Very Poor Nut, DO, T, BOD, TS Good
Johnson Ck. @ SE 17th Ave. (Portland) Very Poor Bact, Nut, BOD, TS Poor Bacteria
Mid-Multnomah 1995 3 Nitrates, VOCs
Milwaukie 1989 3 VOCs
SantaClara/River Road 1980 4 Nitrates, Bacteria
Blue Lake Algae
Fairview Lake Algae
Laurelhurst Pond Algae
Lake Oswego Algae
Tualatin Reservoir Algae
X Columbia Slough: Willamette Zone, Multnomah
County, the full length of the slough from the mouth of
Fairview Lake on the east to its discharge into the
Willamette River on the west PCBs
X Portland Harbor: Extending from the Freemont
Bridge northward to Sauvie Island PCBs

14. Michael Mulvey
503-693-5732
Mulvey.Michael@DEQ.state.or.us