Sustaining a Precious Resource - One of the top priorities of the Clackamas River Water Providers is to protect our water resources. 

The water providers in the Clackamas River Basin have been working together on various water resource issues for more than a decade spending approximately $1million dollars over the past ten years on watershed related projects.  The group funded a major portion of the watershed assessment and jointly funded with the US Geologic Service the first pesticide study in the basin. The water providers also funded work on algal studies, and in 2001 installed a stream gauge to determine the actual flows in the river. Funding for the maintenance of the stream gauge continues today and into the future.

In addtion the CRWP has been working with Portland State University to develop a dynamic model of stream flows in the lower river, partnering with USGS on water quality monitoring stations and flow balance studies on the lower river, as well as providing ongoing financial support to the Clackamas River Basin Council.

In 2008 USGS released the Final Report on a second joint pesticide study between USGS and the water providers titled "Pesticide Occurrence and Distribution in the Lower Clackamas River Basin, Oregon, 2000-2005”.  Joint studies such as this report allow water providers to get a better sense of where problems are and how to best address these issues.  As a result of this study the Clackamas River Water Providers are working with the Clackamas Basin River Council to specifically target riverside landowners for public education and outreach efforts regarding pesticide use.  This includes development and distribution of informational brochures, and pesticide consultation for landowner on how to reduce pesticide use. 

In 2008 the Clackamas River Water Providers were a sucessful grant recipient of the Oregon Water Resource Department's Oregon Water Supply and Conservation Initiative grants.  The grant was used to further the water providers modeling efforts on the Clackamas River.

In 2010 the Clackams River Water Providers were a successful grant recipient of a DEQ 319 grant. This grant funding will go towards conducting two Pesticide Round Up Events in the Clackamas basin in 2011. The purpose of these events was to collect unwanted agricultural pesticides and chemicals so that it could be disposed of correctly before getting into the Clackamas River degrading the water quality.

To ensure the continued protection of our water resources, the CRWP has developed a Drinking Water Protection Plan for the Clackamas River to provide its members with a long term source water protection strategy. The Plan includes eight elements which outline management measures, programs and strategies, to accomplish the goal of addressing the various threats to water quality while ensuring the long-term viability of the Clackamas River as a drinking water source while minimizing future drinking water treatment costs.  

By working together and partnering with other organizations in the basin we are working to improve river health.  Our conservation efforts will make sure that we are using this resource as sustainably as possible.  Find out more about our water source or about our watershed and water quality programs. 

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