What's New

Toxics Monitoring Report Now Available!
The Estuary Partnership, USGS, and NOAA are pleased to release, the “Lower Columbia River and Estuary Ecosystem Monitoring: Water Quality and Salmon Sampling Report” detailing the results of our juvenile salmon and water quality monitoring efforts. The water quality and salmon sampling data were compared to understand which toxic contaminants are contributing to declines in salmon populations and how juvenile salmon exposure to those toxics can be reduced. Looking at the water quality and salmon sampling results together gives a more comprehensive picture of how toxics—particularly bioaccumulative ones—are moving through the lower river and food chain and affecting juvenile salmon.

Key findings from the report include:
-- PCBs, PAHs, and PBDEs are widespread in the lower river, both geographically and in the food chain.
-- The urban and industrial portions of the lower river contribute significantly to juvenile salmon’s toxic loads.
-- Juveniles from upriver salmon stocks are absorbing toxic contaminants during their time in the lower Columbia River.
-- Juvenile salmon in the lower river are accumulating DDT in their tissue.
-- Juvenile salmon are exposed to estrogen-like compounds in the lower river.
-- Copper concentrations were present at levels that could interfere with salmon imprinting, homing, schooling, shoaling, predator detection, predator avoidance, and spawning behavior.
-- The most frequently detected pesticides were atrazine, simazine, and metolachlor, which are suspected hormone disruptors.

More details on the sampling, findings, and next steps are available in the full 70 page report. A limited number of hard copies are available from the Estuary Partnership office. Contact Jill Leary (503.226.1565 ext. 235).

Estuary Partnership’s 2005 Report on the Estuary Released

The Estuary Partnership recently released its first five year report on progress in the lower Columbia River – the 2005 Report on the Estuary.

The 20-page report provides grades and explanations for a series of indicators of lower Columbia River health.

• Are endangered species in the lower Columbia River recovering?
• Are pollutant levels in the lower Columbia River increasing or decreasing?
• Are we gaining or losing habitat in the lower Columbia River?
• Do our land use decisions protect lower Columbia River water quality?
• Has the Estuary Partnership provided children with more science-based programs about the lower Columbia River?
• Has the Estuary Partnership provided more hands-on opportunities to experience or protect the lower Columbia River?

Grades range from A’s for the Estuary Partnership’s education and volunteer efforts, to C’s for progress on species, habitat and land use. A lack of long term monitoring data resulted in an unknown grade for pollutants.

The report was jointly released in early November by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, then EPA Region 10 Administrator Michael Bogert (Bogert is now Counselor to the Secretary of the US Department of Interior), and Washington Representative Deb Wallace in a show of mutual commitment to protecting and enhancing the river that borders Oregon and Washington.

Estuary Partnership Executive Director Debrah Marriott says “The Report on the Estuary is a snapshot of conditions in key areas of study, and a place to start the badly needed long term monitoring of environmental conditions in the lower Columbia River. As the Estuary Partnership expands our water quality and ecosystem monitoring programs, future reports will provide even more data from which to draw more complete conclusions about the river.”