Watershed Programs
Each year the Clackamas River Water Providers implement a number of projects that benefit the watershed and promote source water protection efforts. Below is a description of some of the work we have completed. For a more detailed look at what we accomplished this past year check out our Annual Report! CRWP Annual Report.

Clackamas Watershed Resiliency
The CRWP worked with Portland State University faculty and graduate students and the Institute of Sustainable Solutions (ISS) on a multi-year project aimed to provide water resource stakeholders in the Clackamas River watershed with guidance for managing resilience in the face of climate change. Phase I of this project was to establish a baseline of historical trends in the Clackamas River watershed relevant to climate change and identify issues pertinent to stakeholders in the context of climate change (e.g., diminished summer water supply, water quality degradation resulting from urban development and intense rainfall, etc.). Phase II of this project sought to continue that research with two objectives: (1) Applied Climate Science, (2) Climate Adaptation Planning. The goal of the Clackamas Watershed Resilience project was to help the CRWP understand local impacts of climate change on water quality and quantity in the region; and develop strategies to sustain a healthy, reliable water source. To see the results from this research go to https://sites.google.com/a/pdx.edu/maxnp/research/Clackamas-watershedFind a Sign Near You!
In 2014 the CRWP received a State Revolving Fund Drinking Water Protection Grant to install attractive interpretative signage at parks and boat ramps in the lower Clackamas River to help educate our river users on how their actions can impact water quality and what they can do to project our drinking water source. Due to the diverse ownership of parks and boat access points in the Clackamas River watershed the CRWP had to work with Oregon City Parks, Clackamas County Parks, Clackamas River Water (District), Oregon State Parks, and PGE on this project. Through this grant the signs were produced and installed at Riverside Park, Barton Park, and Milo McIver State Park in the lower river, and smaller version of the signs were installed by PGE at Timber Park, Promontory Park and along new river access point higher up in the watershed. As part of this grant the CRWP also worked with PGE and the Oregon State Marine Board to to get PGE’s renewly revamped Promontory Park marina certified under the Oregon Clean Marina Program. Certifiction was finalized in July of 2016 and acknowledgement of this accomplishment is listed on the Oregon State Marine Board website. To learn more about how you can paddle, fish, and play in the Clackamas while protecting our drinking water source click here.

CRWP Macroinvertebrate Monitoring
The CRWP worked with ABR, Inc. Environmental Research & Services to look at how macroinvertebrate monitoring could be used as a tool to track long-term trends in overall water quality in the Clackamas River. The purpose of the study was to look at and summarize all of the existing macroinvertebrate data in the watershed, to conduct a gap analysis, to map all the current and proposed monitoring sites, and to develop a Long Term Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Plan for the lower Clackamas River. The CRWP hopes to use this Plan as a tool to identify opportunities to better collaborate with our Basin partners in these kind of monitoring efforts by aligning monitoring stations and identifying common field and lab methodologies. Click here for the Lower Clackamas River Basin Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Plan. In September of 2013 the CRWP began sampling macroinvertebrates from six sites in the lower Calckamas River mainstem between river miles 0.5 and 22. 2013 Lower Clackamas River Macroinvertebrate Assessment sampling results can be downloaded here. 2014 Lower Clackamas River Macroinvertebrate Assessment sampling results can be downloaded here. 2013-2015 Lower Clackamas River Macroinvertebrate Assessment NEW – MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY CONDITIONS of the LOWER CLACKAMAS RIVER BASIN 1997-2016 2018 Lower Clackamas River Macroinvertebrate AssessmentOrganic Farm Certification Feasibility Study
In 2013 the CRWP provided the Clackamas River Basin Council funding to conduct a Organic Farm Certification Feasibility Study. The purpose of this study was to identify what kind of organic certification program are available to farmers, and to better understand what the impediments are to farms from pursuing these kinds of certifications. The CRWP’s intent was to gain a better understanding of how we can entice more farms in the Clackamas River watershed to become organically certified as a strategy to reduce pesticide use in the basin. Click here for the Organic Farm Certification Final Report.GIS Assessment of Drinking Water Threats
In 2010 the CRWP hired Herrera Environmental Consultants to develop a GIS/Geodatabase as a tool to assess potential drinking water threats in the Clackamas watershed. During the first year Herrera gathered relevant GIS data for the Clackamas River watershed and built the geodatabase. In the second year of the project Herrera completed a series of GIS risk analyses that focus on six potential contaminant source categories identified as being high risk to water quality in the CRWP Drinking Water Protection Plan. The goal of these GIS analyses was to map risk factors known to have a strong negative correlation with drinking water quality in the Clackamas River watershed. Mapped “hot spots” generated from each analysis separately as well as the results of the six risk analyses overlaid together as an aggregate will be used by the CRWP to help focus drinking water protection priorities. In addition Herrera developed a list of required datasets and a suggested approach for developing a GIS-based watershed emergency response system for the Clackamas River Watershed. The Risk Analysis work done in the second year of this project was funded by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency through the Oregon Safe Drinking Water Program administered by the Oregon Business Development Department. Click on the links below to see the Final Reports for each risk analysis. Executive Summary Septic Systems Analysis Agricultural Analysis Forestry Analysis Urban Development Analysis Vulnerable Soils Analysis Point Source Pollution Analysis Watershed Emergency Response SystemHazardous Materials Spill Risk Analysis
In the fall of 2013 the CRWP worked with Herrera to complete a risk analysis that looked at how hazardous material spills could affect drinking water quality in the Clackamas River watershed.The initial Hazardous Material Spill analysis identified more than 500 facilities store reportable quantities of 3,500 different hazardous substances in the Clackamas River watershed. The analysis grouped substances by physical state and quantity, but did not distinguish by substance type, toxicity, or potential pathways to surface water. To better assess the distribution and magnitude of risk in the focus area, during the FY 2014-15 the CRWP hired Herrera to refined the GIS spill risk analyses to focus specifically on facilities storing large quantities of key categories of hazardous substances. This effort also including identifying potential spill pathways to the Clackamas River. January 28, 2015 Project Results Presentation Updated GIS Hazardous Materials Spill Risk Analyses Results and RecommendationsPollutant Load Modeling
In 2014 CRWP hired Geosyntec Consultants to better understand the relative and cumulative impacts to the drinking water source quality including all of the land uses. To conduct this assessment a pollutant load modeling tool (PLMT, or the “tool”) was developed to assess baseline conditions and consider scenarios for management and risk reduction.
The tool builds upon CRWP’s Geodatabase and was designed to assist CRWP with (1) prioritizing future water quality sampling to assess progress or performance; (2) selecting best management practices (BMPs) for mitigating various land use-based threats to source water quality; and (3) prioritizing funding to obtain the greatest benefit out of CRWP’s available resources. Clackamas River Basin Pollutant Load Modeling Tool Report)
EcoBiz
EcoBiz, short for Eco-Logical Business, is a certification recognizing businesses in Oregon that adopt best practices and protect the environment. The completely free and voluntary program is designed to prevent and minimize hazardous waste, air and water pollution. The CRWP is an active member of the Pollution Prevention Outreach (P2O) Team a group of pollution prevention experts from around the Portland Metro Region, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, which administer the EcoBiz certification program.
EcoBiz currently recognizes Automotive businesses (including general repair, body and paint, radiator repair and car wash), Landscapers (design, installation, maintenance, irrigation, and specialty), and Public Agencies. In 2014-15 the CRWP partnered with Water Environment Services to hire the Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) to conduct EcoBiz Outreach Services in the lower part of the Clackamas River watershed. Click on the link below to see a summary of these efforts. PPRC Final Report FY 15_16 CRWP EcoBiz Certified Landscapers Fact Sheet for Clackamas County
To learn more about EcoBiz or to find a Ecobiz certified business go to www.ecobiz.org_