Dear Willamette River Friends -
This time of year finds me, and others at WR, full of optimism and eagerness to make progress for the Willamette River. We are already more than 40 days past the Winter Solstice, and there is growing light each evening, and native plants are beginning to bud (See the osoberry pictured below).
The Willamette and its tributaries are full of water. This Water Trail campsite, pictured above, is located downstream of the Wheatland Ferry (Image courtesy of OPRD River Ranger, Scott Youngblood). There is also a growing snowpack in the Cascades that will help sustain flows well into summer, benefitting a range of species that call the Willamette System home.
Our energy and optimism are needed now more than ever. Recently the Trump Administration weakened the Clean Water Act, and has signaled it will renegotiate sewer system improvements with some cities.
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In the face of changes to the Clean Water Act at the Federal level, WR will be ever vigilant in 2020 to help ensure we make continued progress for Clean Water, from our advocacy and education to our legal work. At the end of the Day, the CWA is still very powerful.
Thanks to all of you who have joined us in 2019, and to those of you who have been with us for years. Your membership, sponsorship, bequests, and generosity enable our work to continue - with strength.
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For the River,
Travis Williams
Riverkeeper & Executive Director
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VOLUNTEER for an upcoming Trashy Tuesday or Thursday near you!
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EUGENE
When:
Tuesday, 2/11 from 8:00am to 12:30pm
Where:
Aspen Street in Springfield to the Alton Baker boat ramp
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PORTLAND
When:
Tuesday, 2/25 from 8:00am to 1:00pm
Where:
Meet at our SE Portland office at 403 SE Caruthers St
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CORVALLIS
Postponed to March due to high river levels, dates TBA
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SALEM
Postponed to March due to high river levels, dates TBA
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*All dates are subject to cancel if water levels/conditions are deemed unsafe
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The Problem With "Flushable" Wipes
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Just last week,10,000 gallons of raw sewage overflowed from the wastewater system into two creeks near Salem. Both sewage overflows were due in large part to “flushable” wipes.
The problem is this: many of the purported “flushable” wipes are really not all that flushable. These wipes, found on most store shelves, do not break down like toilet paper when they get into our sewer systems. Generally the problematic wipes have fibers that are too long and are made of materials that are meant to hold up to use - which are the same attributes that hinder their ability to be broken down. In some cases the material may even contain microplastics.
When these supposedly “flushable” wipes are sent on their way, never to be seen by the flusher again, they can end up clogging pipes in your home, pipes in the sewer system (pictured above), pumps that help convey sewage to treatment plants, and clog related machinery at the plants. Then, as was apparently the recent cases in Salem, raw sewage can be released to local creeks and rivers such as the Willamette. This is an ironic outcome for a “cleansing” wipe.
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What’s more, most wipes that say they are “Flushable” generally do not meet any official standard for what “flushable” means, leaving an even more complex mess for our municipal treatment plant workers to manage. The frequently uncelebrated and essential work conducted by Public Works and related departments in our communities, dealing with our sewage and other waste, is hard enough without introducing additional complicating factors like “wipes.” This is an issue wherever these wipes are sold (note the shocking ad from Sydney pictured above)
While some medical uses may be necessary, these “flushable” wipes are nowadays inexplicably marketed for basic sanitation such as cleansing your hands, wiping makeup off of your face, diaper changes etc, and are generally put forward as a
convenience
. Too many of us have fallen into the trap of this
wasteful convenience.
It makes us wonder when using a wash cloth, water, and biodegradable soap became so very difficult in our society. If we want our sewer systems to work, and our creeks and rivers to be free of sewage - we need to rethink the use of “flushable” wipes.
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Some states are seeking labeling requirements and standards that manufacturers must meet in order to claim their products are flushable. A better move would seem to not use such products at all. At the very least, the State of Oregon should consider new labeling on all such products indicating that they are NOT flushable, and instead belong in the waste basket - not the toilet. It makes sense for all of us to think a bit more about the consequences of our
convenience
.
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We are happy to share that this month we are working with our partners at Oregon State Parks and our contractors to plant more than
86,000 native trees and shrubs
at Willamette Mission State Park. This will bring
our total of native plants installed at for Willamette Mission Floodplain Reforestation Project up to 487,220
! We are actively working to restore more than 600 acres of floodplain forest and aquatic habitat at this site.
We will also complete a much smaller planting at Ross Island Natural Area this winter to continue to restore this unique urban natural area in the heart of Portland. Join us for educational tours and work parties at our restoration sites this upcoming field season to learn more about our habitat restoration work.
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Re-do! Bridges + Big Ships Paddle- 3/21
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Thanks to some very high water and winds earlier this month, we have rescheduled this trip for March.
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Join us as we kick off our River Discovery paddling season exploring a fascinating and seldom paddled stretch of the Willamette! Enjoy a rare opportunity to admire Portland's iconic bridges and huge ships from a unique perspective, while learning more about historic riverside industries, and today's Superfund challenges.
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What:
Bridges & Big Ships Paddle Trip
When:
Saturday, March 21st from 9:30am to 2:30pm
Where:
From the dock located at the former SE Portland Boathouse, down to Cathedral Park
Details:
We'll launch from the
inner SE Portland
and will paddle 7.5 miles downstream, passing under eight historic bridges (including the Hawthorne, Morrison, Burnside, Steel, Broadway, Fremont, Union Pacific Railroad, and St. Johns Bridges), ending our trip at
Cathedral Park
.
Meet in the parking lot of the River East Building (located at 1515 SE Water Avenue, and SE Clay in Portland). Look for us nearby the gravel lot just above the boat ramp. Please arrive around 9:30am as we aim to launch no later than 10:00am. Participants should be comfortable paddling for 2-3 hours in current. There are no restrooms along this stretch. Dress appropriately for *cold* and wet weather (bring hats, gloves, pack a spare set of dry clothes and extra warm layers)! We will have extra dry bags on hand. Be smart about how you equip your feet: thick wool or fleece socks and warm rubber/waterproof boots are a good idea. Also bring water, snacks, lunch, a hot drink, and perhaps your camera.
Shuttle:
Riverkeeper is offering a limited shuttle service from when we get off the water at the take-out, back to River East Building's parking lot in SE Portland where the trip began.
You must reserve a seat in our shuttle in advance
through this registration. We welcome participants to make their own shuttle arrangements as well. We expect to reach the take-out sometime between 1:30pm and 2:00pm. The shuttle can take approximately 25-40 minutes (one way).
Need a Boat?
Riverkeeper canoes are available for FREE through this registration as well. You must recruit your own paddling partner.
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Defending the Clean Water Act in Albany
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After a sewage spill occurred during our Paddle Oregon event last August, affecting many of our paddlers just downstream of Albany, we sent a Clean Water Act Notice of Intent to Sue for spills from Albany’s old, antiquated pipes and excessive overflows. Albany met with us, and provided some documents, but their struggles to comply with the law continues. Albany also lacks a federal Clean Water Act municipal separate storm sewer system, or “MS4”, permit.
Since 2000, all cities of 50,000 or more are required to apply for, and obtain a MS4 permit. Albany’s population surpassed 50,000 nearly a decade ago, but it still has not sought a MS4 permit. These permits are required, and are designed to curb the flow of runoff from our streets and any city owned areas that generate or convey runoff. As many of you know, runoff from city streets, parking lots and more can carry a wide range of pollutants into our creeks and rivers (the image above, for example, shows oil running into a storm drain in an unknown city). The MS4 permit has multiple requirements to help restrict, and curb such flows and require permittees to develop a plan which includes six “minimum control measures.”
Unfortunately Albany believes that it should not have to obtain a permit, and so this week we filed a second Clean Water Act Notice of Intent to Sue the City.
Over the years we have worked well with the City of Albany, and have supported their efforts to establish new parks and to protect riverside lands. Unfortunately in this case there are those in the City that hold a different view in regard to the Clean Water Act.
We believe that federal law requires the City of Albany to obtain a MS4 permit to protect the Willamette River, and the threatened species that rely on it.
Stay tuned for more information on this issue in the weeks ahead.
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Recently, WR was the recipient of a major legacy gift from a member who passed away in 2018. Barbara Mendius was an amazing and talented person who lived in a home she designed with repurposed materials in Portland. She had a strong connection to natural resource issues, and contributed to WR over the years.
Ms. Mendius was a software engineer, and had an MS degree in Neurobiology from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, as well as an MS in Computer Science from the University of Oregon. She was an advocate for wheelchair access, and also volunteered for multiple non-profits.
Unknown to us before her passing, she divided a portion of her significant estate into several major contributions to non-profit organizations and institutions in Oregon, and nationwide. Ms. Mendius clearly cared about our river systems, as well as the environment in general. We have not received many gifts of this type over the years, and when we do it further enables us to increase our financial stability, with an eye toward the long-term.
The gift from Ms. Mendius is a reminder of the power of legacy/planned giving, and how it can truly make a huge impact on small non-profit organizations, and in time can even help build an endowment.
In this case we had no idea such a generous financial gift was planned, but had we known, we would have expressed our thanks to Barbara Mendius in the strongest fashion.
Thank you so much Barbara!
There are multiple options for planned/legacy giving. If you would like more information, feel free to contact
Heather King
, our Deputy Director, to learn more.
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THANK YOU
River Givers for contributing to the overwhelming success of our end of year fundraising drive! Your exceptional support for clean water and healthy habitat helped us knock our goals out of the park!
As of December 31st, we were able to exceed both our Give!Guide goal of $28,000
and
our end of year challenge match from the Quinsey Family Foundation of $30,000!
Thank you
to the Quinsey Family for your generosity and unwavering support of our mission and work!
Your support makes our work possible.
Together, we will continue to protect and restore Oregon's great Willamette River!
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Registrations Available Soon
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We can hardly contain our excitement! Stand by for an e-mail announcement later this month when we launch our 20th Annual Paddle Oregon registration as well as our 2nd Annual Pinot Paddle registration. For now, save the dates folks!
- Pinot Paddle: June 13th - 14th
- 20th Annual Paddle Oregon: August 17th - 21st
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