The Columbia River

Positive actions are being undertaken and accomplished to improve water quality in the Columbia River and its tributaries. We appreciate your interest and involvement. Together we can work towards a better river environment for everyone.

Dioxin Discharges TMDL Total Dissolved Gas (TDG) TMDL National Strategic Plan Toxics Reduction Working Group Basin Contact Information

Dioxin Discharges - Columbia, Snake, and Willamette Rivers

  TMDL approved by the EPA on February 25, 1991

• Section 1: Scope PDF
• Section 2: Need for a TMDL PDF 5.7MB
• Section 3: Development of the TMDL PDF 11.7MB
• Section 4: Summary PDF 3.2MB
• Appendix A: Loading Capacity PDF 8.0MB
• Appendix B: Allocation Issues PDF 16.4MB
• Appendix C: Waste Load Allocation Methods Considered PDF 5.9MB

Total Dissolved Gas (TDG) - Lower Columbia River

  Lower Columbia River TMDL approved by the EPA on November 18, 2002

• Memorandum of Agreement, October 16, 2000 PDF
• Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)/Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP)/Response to Public Comment PDF 1.4MB

Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) Total Dissolved Gas Waiver:

• 2010 - 2014 Fish Passage Spill Season TDG Waiver Issued to the US Army Corps of Engineers, June 24, 2009 PDF

Adaptive Management Team (AMT) for TMDL Implementation:

• Total Dissolved Gas (TDG) Adaptive Management Team (Washington State Department of Ecology official host)

• DEQ and Washington Department of Ecology Evaluation of the 115% TDG Forebay Requirement, January 2009 PDF

National Strategic Plan

• Columbia River National Strategic Plan - EPA Official Host

In EPA’s 2006-2011 National Strategic Plan, the Columbia River was identified as one of our Nation’s great water bodies. The Columbia River Basin joins the six other Large Aquatic Ecosystems in Goal 4: Healthy Communities and Ecosystems, focused on protecting, sustaining and restoring the health of critical natural habitats and ecosystems. This plan is EPA’s road map for future work efforts and provides a mechanism to measure progress in protecting human health and the natural environment.

The following Goal 4 2006-2011 strategic targets were identified:

• Protect, enhance, or restore 13,000 acres of wetland habitat and 3,000 acres of upland habitat in the Lower Columbia River watershed.
• Clean up 150 acres of known highly contaminated sediments.
  
• Demonstrate a 10% reduction in mean concentration of contaminants of concern found in water and fish tissue.

For the 2011 goal, DEQ is contributing to the target reduction by implementing the Pesticide Stewardship Partnership (PSP) for the Walla Walla Basin. Current data demonstrates that both chlorphyrophos and azinphos methyl median concentrations have been reduced by a minimum of 10%, thus meeting DEQ’s strategic target goal.

For the 2014 goal, DEQ will be contributing to the target reduction by the implementation of the Pesticide Stewardship Partnership (PSP) for the Walla Walla Basin and Clackamas Subbasin. Two new DEQ PSP targets were added to the original 2006–2011 targets. As part of on-going PSP work, acetemiprid in the Walla Walla Basin and Chlorpyrifos in the Clackamas Subbasin have been added to the target.  Through the successful implementation and water quality improvement history of the PSP program, the Water Quality Division is confident that the 10% reduction in median concentrations for the targets identified in Table 2 will be achieved by 2014. 

Toxics Reduction Working Group

• Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Working Group - EPA Official Host

DEQ is an active member of this working group which has been meeting since 2005 to share information, coordinate activities, and develop strategies to identify and then reduce toxics in the Columbia River Basin. 

Contact Information

• Columbia River Coordinator:  Agnes Lut  e-mail  (503) 229-5247 Portland
   
• DEQ Northwest Region office Information
• Basin Coordinator List PDF

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