ADVOCACY
Urban & Rural Reserves
FARMERS & CONSERVATIONISTS ARE UNITED FOR RESOURCE PROTECTION
Tualatin Riverkeepers along with other conservation groups have come to an greement with farming groups including Washington County Farm Bureau and Oregon Association of Nurseries for protection of natural resources and farm lands in the tri-county area.
READ MORE (Press Release)
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Citizen Action Committee
The Citizen Action Committee meets once a month on the fourth Wednesday to discuss public policy issues and strategize for beneficial outcomes. Some of the activities our volunteers get involved with include research, testifying at public hearings, writing letters and speaking to community groups. If you would like to get involved, contact Brian Wegener , Watershed Watch Coordinator at 503-620-7507 or email him at brian@tualatinriverkeepers.org.
Report Problems
You can help protect the Tualatin River System by reporting problems that you witness to the proper agency. Here are some steps to help you do that.
- For life threatening situations and crimes in progress, call 911 immediately.
- For a list of who to call, check out our Agency Contact List
- Help us track problems and their remedies by filling out an online Trouble Ticket
- For additional guidance call our office at 503-620-7507
- Photos help agencies respond quickly and appropriately. If you are able to take digital photo of the problem, send them to brian@tualatinriverkeepers.org after filling out the trouble ticket.
Make your secure online donation to Tualatin Riverkeepers through Network for Good.
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ISSUES
Watch our Press Conference on Urban & Rural Reserves
Municipal Stormwater Regulation
Tualatin Riverkeepers continues to advocate for enforceable water quality limits in the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) Permits. We expect that our legal challenge to the permits will be heard before the Oregon Oregon Court of Appeals on May 11, 2009.
Recently DEQ sought our comments on a draft template of what the next round of permits might look like. Our comments focused on the following issues:
- Monitoring should use a statistically valid sampling plan that supports adaptive management.
- Tualatin basin water quality limits (TMDL waste load allocations) should be incorporated into the permit in an enforceable way.
- Low Impact Development and practices that reduce urban runoff and hydrological damage to streams should be the highest priority.
You can read the comments of TRK and our allies by using the following links:
DEQ 2008 Draft MS4 Permit Template
TRK's Comments on 2008 MS4 Draft Template
Allies Comments on 2008 MS4 Draft Template
DEQ will be working on the MS4 permits over the next year. If you would like to be involved in reviewing and comment on the permits, drop a line to brian@tualatinriverkeepers.org.
Clean Water Services Annual Stormwater Report is now online.
Preventing Stormwater Runoff
Low Impact Development uses techniques that mimic nature to treat stormwater where it falls, encouraging groundwater infiltration, interception by plants, and harvesting of rain for other uses. Low Impact Development reduces pollution, erosion, flooding, and recharges the groundwater system that feeds our neighborhood streams in the dry season. We encourage you to learn more about Low Impact Development and viewing LID projects in the Tualatin Basin by using the following links:
Urban Runoff & Low Impact Development
Take the Connect the Drops Tour
Read about proposed changes to CWS Permit
This is Your River on Drugs - or not?
USGS Report on Pharmaceuticals and man-made chemicals in the sediments of the Tualatin River, Fanno Creek, Columbia Slough and the Willamette River. Read the report...
Read another USGS report specific to the Tualatin Basin and the CWS Durham Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant.