Water Quality Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friends of the Metolius Announces

Completion of the First Comprehensive Water Quality Analysis of the Metolius River

Water Quality Conference – March 12, 2015

Camp Sherman, Oregon – January 21, 2015

Friends of the Metolius announced today that its multi-year study of Metolius River water quality is now complete. Friends partnered with Geosyntec Consultants, a consulting engineering firm in Portland, to comprehensively analyze a database containing water quality data going back over 20 years. The database is a collection compiled from numerous sources including Friends, the US Forest Service, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the US Geological Survey, and Portland General Electric. The database was generated by the Institute for Water and Watersheds at Oregon State University, in partnership with Friends.

Analysis of data was across multiple sites along the length of the river, over two decades, and looked at a variety of water quality factors including E. coli, nitrates, phosphorous, pH, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. No critical trends were discovered, although levels of phosphorous and nitrates did occasionally rise above regional standard levels – likely attributable to local geology.

“Completion of this first-of-its-kind analysis is a watershed event for us,” stated Friends president Doug Hancock. “Of all the attributes that combine to make the Metolius unique – the ponderosa and tamarack forest, the wildlife, the surrounding mountains, the region’s history, the quiet – it is the spring fed clarity and beauty of the river itself that ultimately defines the region. Working to maintain the quality of the water is at the heart of Friends’ mission.”

Friends is sponsoring a 2-hour conference for water quality professionals to be held on March 12, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at the Camp Sherman Community Hall. Two engineers from Geosyntec will attend the conference, present their report, and answer questions. A summary of the report as well as a complete copy of the study and all associated documents may be downloaded from Friends’ website at www.friendsofthemetolius.org/.

About: Friends of the Metolius is a conservation organization based in Camp Sherman and dedicated to preserving the legacy and the natural resources of the Metolius Basin.

Contact: Rick Thomas

[email protected]
www.friendsofthemetolius.org