The Willamette River once described as an “open sewer,” according to a 1972 analysis of the region, has made significant gains improving water quality, but a recent environmental study has found that Eugene’s scenic bisector is still somewhat polluted.
The analysis, released in September by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), identified the three main sources of pollution today as excess bacteria, mercury and unusually high water temperature. The study focused on the region encompassing the Willamette River and its surrounding areas, known as the Willamette Basin, and outlined key areas of improvement that are needed to raise the river’s water quality.
Jared Rubin, a DEQ employee and coordinator of the Willamette Basin report, said the report received a lot of community feedback before the final version was published. He said the input of Eugeneans or other concerned citizens is important to applying the analysis and fixing environmental problems down the line.
“We take that very, very seriously,” Rubin said. “I think Eugene is very proactive, and they’re definitely doing their part to adjust water quality. They’ve demonstrated a commitment to this cause.”
Rubin said urban areas on the river are typically the most problematic, especially with excess bacteria. The Willamette Basin, which contains the river, is home to about 70 percent of the state’s total population.
Rubin said the Eugene area is actually one of the cleanest in the region because it is near the origin of the river, and Portland, near the end, is historically the worst.
“I think the quality of the river is higher as you move upstream,” he said.
Because the Willamette flows north unlike most rivers, “upstream” actually means toward the south. Rubin said certain pollutants can originate from a source in one city and compound with others farther north. He said this is part of the reason Portland is the most polluted region, though it is also the most dense urban area.
Excess bacteria, Rubin said, has made the most improvement over the past several years, but it still is not to level it should be.
“For something like bacteria, we’re talking about a human health risk,” he said, adding that people who use the river recreationally for swimming are most at risk.
Rubin said the bacteria problem is often caused by sewage overflow during heavy rains and local animals’ fecal matter.
“We just want to make sure that stays on the land, not the water,” Rubin said.
Environmental studies professor Scott Bridgham said the University has thrown itself into the effort to correct local water quality problems, taking part in a wetlands restoration project that includes parts of the Willamette Basin.
“It’s a major problem, in particular with industrial activities,” Bridgham said.
Beyond excess bacteria, Rubin said above-average mercury levels in the river deposited by land erosion from farming and construction near the river affects Eugeneans more indirectly.
Rubin said mercury is not harmful from skin contact as bacteria can be, but the danger comes from ingesting fish that were exposed to the contaminated water.
The river’s unusually high temperature, caused largely by a simple lack of shade along the banks, causes irregular breeding patterns of indigenous fish, Rubin said.
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