Monitoring Columbia River's Water Quality

An aerial view of the Columbia River watershed.

Many of us have had to admit, since the beginning of this year, that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been gutted of its mission by a deliberately negligent leader. As that has become more apparent, our environmental concerns have been placed more in the hands of nonprofit organizations, to maintain the rehabbing of our major rivers, among the various neglected aspects of the EPA.

One organization that guards a body of water moving through several States is COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER, whose responsibility is the cleanliness and preservation of the Columbia River. Part of a national Waterkeeper Alliance, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., it was formed from a merger between Columbia River United and Clean Water Columbia. Its responsibility is the entire Columbia River, from its head until it drains into the Pacific Ocean, along with all of its living environs.



One of the functions of the organization is training more than 150 volunteers to monitor the Columbia's water quality at approximately 100 sites along the river. In their quest to maintain the river water's integrity, there were several water pollution threats detected, including toxic substances detected in sturgeons and water temperatures that were outside of standards set by the State and that affect salmon migration.

Since 2006, volunteers have monitored an increasing number of sites for conductivity, pH, water clarity, dissolved oxygen level, temperature, and e. coli level. In 2007-2008, volunteers monitored eight of the sites near Wenatchee for aquatic insects. By monitoring these sites regularly, Riverkeeper is able to respond quickly to changes that indicate a toxic inflow and can pinpoint the problem, so it can be fixed.

A trained volunteer monitors water quality at a designated site.

For example, in 2008 volunteers at the Indian Creek site detected an increase in e. coli, which was found to be coming from a damaged sewer pipe, that enabled the damage to be fixed. Throughout their time monitoring the river, volunteers have found that the mainstream temperature of 68 degrees in the summer exceeds the State standard. That temperature causes young steelhead and salmon to be restricted in size, more subject to disease, and more vulnerable to predators. Continued monitoring has also helped volunteers to identify some cool-water tributaries that could be restored into alternative sites more suitable to these younger fish.

By monitoring the river, volunteers discovered the water temperature too warm to sustain healthy steelheads and salmon.

In order to provide accurate monitoring, volunteers receive training from Columbia Riverkeeper and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. (DEQ). That helps maintain scientific accuracy and also performs a service for DEQ, allowing them to have data and report to their citizens the state of the river.

Thanks for information from this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ColumbiaRiverkeeper/about/?ref=page_internal; this page on Columbia Riverkeeper: http://columbiariverkeeper.org/about-us/our-story/; this page on Columbia Riverkeeper: http://columbiariverkeeper.org/water-quality/water-quality-monitoring/; and the above link.

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