WILLAMETTE RIVERKEEPER

Guided by scientific understanding of restoration principles, our Habitat Restoration Program works to improve floodplain and riparian habitats within the Willamette Basin, in collaboration with multiple partners including private and state landowners and conservation organizations.

Willamette Riverkeeper organizes and leads monthly opportunities to “meet” your river. We have found that connecting people to the river by facilitating on-the-water experiences is an effective tool for promoting stewardship, and developing community interest in our work.

Whether by paddle craft, motor boat, or walking tour, we find that getting up close and “personal” with the river is highly informative. Whether you paddle into a river alcove where native Wapato is emerging along the water's edge, or you see the vast alterations to natural habitat encountered in our river’s Superfund site, getting on or along the river will enable you to learn about our river’s successes and challenges.

Willamette Riverkeeper (WR) utilizes the Clean Water Act to help ensure that the Willamette River’s water quality is the best it can be. WR also uses science, restoration and policy work to improve water quality in our communities along the Willamette and its tributaries. Pesticides, emerging contaminants such as flame retardants, legacy pollutants such as PCBs, and many others are a very real concerns today.

WR works with community stakeholders to respond to issues as they are detected, with our River Guardians in certain stretches of the river to investigate potential water quality violations under the Clean Water Act. We also evaluate new permit applications, and applications to renew wastewater discharge permits from industrial and stormwater sources up and down the river.

Over the years our work in his area has resulted in multiple settlements with permit holders that have significantly reduced the level of pollution entering the Willamette and its tributaries, from sources such as industrial storage lots and pulp mills to saw mills, and parking lots.

From time to time WR conducts its own monitoring, screening for toxics or evaluating basic water quality parameters such as temperature and bacteria.