By Liz Perkin Native Fish Society
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has recently released their proposed changes to the Fish and Aquatic Life Uses of Oregon’s waterbodies Some systems will be getting more strict securities as an outcome of these modifications, such as the Cow Creek on the South Umpqua. In really couple of cases, nevertheless, the suggestions would in fact unwind water quality requirements.
The watersheds we are most worried about loosening up requirements remain in the Crooked River and Trout Creek, both east-side tributaries of the Deschutes River, which are proposed to move from an optimum permitted pH of 8.5 to a more alkaline 9.0. This relocation is worrying because greater pH is frequently triggered by the increased nutrients from extreme farming practices. DEQ is proposing an “action” pH worth of 8.7, which, if gone beyond in more than 25% of measurements in between June and September, would then be examined to figure out if the reason for those measurements are natural or anthropogenic.
DEQ is validating this modification on the basis that the underlying geology of the Crooked River and Trout Creek watersheds is more comparable to that of the John Day River, which has a set appropriate pH series of 6.5-9.0. Nevertheless, the remainder of the Deschutes watershed has a pH requirement of 6.5-8.5, considered that the majority of the Deschutes comes from the Cascades. Raising the pH optimum in the Crooked River and Trout Creek will efficiently divide the Deschutes watershed and possibly adversely impact water quality in the lower Deschutes.
Our issue is that by unwinding the pH requirement, especially in the Crooked River, where nutrients are currently a concern, DEQ is making it most likely that water quality infractions will go unaddressed for longer. This might possibly lead to even greater pH worths in the lower Deschutes, where raised pH worths are currently an issue to fish health.
Native Fish Society will be prompting DEQ to keep the pH requirements in the Crooked River and Trout Creek at their present levels, and we motivate others to voice their issues about this modification also.
Talk about the proposed modifications are due by June 23, 2023 and can be sent at this webpage DEQ will be going over all proposed modifications to the Fish and Aquatic Life Usage at their commission meeting on May 18, so please tune in to that for additional information. There will likewise be a public hearing on June 6 at 4:00 pm. Here is the zoom link for that meeting
