Oregon could place limits on river trash, ocean acidification
Oregon could place limits on river trash, ocean acidification
Published 19 April 2024 Web sites and blogs Leave a Comment…
In this September 2021 photo provided by Willamette Riverkeeper, volunteers help remove trash from the Upper Willamette River outside Eugene.
In addition to aquatic trash, DEQ added two additional types of water pollution to its report this year: ocean acidification and hypoxia, and PFOS, which is a subset of “forever chemicals” widely known as PFAS.
“All three of these kind of particular issues are very different and much harder to solve,” compared to water temperature pollution, DEQ spokesperson Lauren Wirtis said. “It’s not [from] a single entity or person or facility.”
In addition to the Willamette River, DEQ proposes the Columbia Slough — the 31-mile stretch of waterways between Fairview Lake and the Willamette River — be listed as impaired for PFOS based on the Oregon Health Authority’s fish consumption advisory.
DEQ is also proposing parts of the Oregon Coast be listed as impaired due to ocean acidification and hypoxia, which is linked to a changing climate. The ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, increasing acidity and depleting oxygen. DEQ based its findings on three years of data submissions, as well as a workgroup it formed.
The agency is proposing to list the stretch of coast from Cape Foulweather (south of Depoe Bay) to the Siltcoos River (north of Winchester Bay) as impaired for acidification and hypoxia. It’s also proposing the stretch of coast from the Columbia River to Cape Lookout (southwest of Tillamook) be listed for ocean acidification only. If approved by the EPA, Oregon would become the first state to have marine waters listed as impaired for ocean acidification.
April Erlich, OPB, 18 April 2024. Article.
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