Office Location: 650 Hawthorne Ave SE, Ste # 130 Salem, OR 97301-5894 We are located in the Salem USDA Service Center Phone: (503) 391-9927 Fax: (503) 399-5799 E-mail: marion.swcd@oacd.org Office Photo and Map

Quality Assurance Project Plan Summary
Developed in 2002

Background

In 2002 an effort was made between Marion County, the Pudding River Watershed Council and the Marion Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) to conduct a water quality monitoring program in the Pudding River watershed. The program was established to gather baseline information to help our area comply with the Federal Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts. It also provided a means for residents to learn about their watershed, take a more active role in data collection and to become more informed about future decision-making and restoration efforts. Grab samples at up to 15 sites were monitored several times yearly for temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity and bacteria. Additionally, up to 12 summer temperature locations were chosen to collect information on water temperature over the warm season. This information was critical in developing the Pudding River Watershed Assessment (2006) and the current DEQ Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) allocations in the Molalla/Pudding and neighboring basins. The current TMDL shows that reductions in stream temperature and improvements in water quality are needed in several subbasins.

The SWCD has continued our water monitoring program to help us assess water quality conditions in the district. We can then provide direction and outreach to producers to help them comply with the local Agricultural Water Quality Management Plan (AgWQMP) for the Molalla-Pudding-French Prairie, and North Santiam River Basins. Baseline data and trends can help us determine if the AgWQMP is working. The Local Advisory Council to the AgWQMP meets periodically to review progress and water quality conditions in the District. Our goal is to use baseline conditions to identify trends in water quality the streams and rivers of Marion County and help to address/clarify the issues that cause the listing of streams in the study area that are on the states 303(d) listing.

Our five automated stations record flow level and temperature on the Pudding River tributaries of Butte, Abiqua Silver and Drift Creek, as well as on the Pudding River above Silver Creek. Agricultural production in this area is very intense and the supply of surface and groundwater for irrigation is limited. Our current Water Quality Monitoring Plan for the 2008-09 year includes continuing 5 automated water level and temperature stations we operate in the Pudding River basin as well as grab samples at these and some of the DEQ sampling sites for quality assurance and additional information. We are also working to establish a site on Mill Creek near Turner, and Fruitland Creek to gather baseline water quality information where we have found a lack of data. We also are planning Spring grab samples on surface water for detections of applied pesticides or fertilizers at sites with and without Grass Waterways and Field Borders to check local effectiveness of these Best Management Practices.

In 2005, we partnered with the Oregon DEQ to provide funding for them to test at seven sites in the Pudding basin for herbicides and insecticides. The 2005-07 results showed that three test sites in the Zollner Creek subbasin had the highest levels, one in the Little Pudding River basin below Labish Ditch had moderate levels and a low level was detected lower down in the Pudding at Hwy 99. Chemicals such as chlorpyrifos (Lorsban, Dursban), diazinone, dimethoate, malathion, atrazine, simizine, azinphos-methyl (Guthion) and ethoprop (Prophos) were detected, some at levels above standards set for aquatic life, and some not having benchmarks yet established for aquatic life criteria. NMFS has recently drafted a biological opinion listing 37 pesticides in current use in the NW and citing evidence for their negative effects on salmon survival. Five of the pesticides found in the Pudding basin testing were pesticides on this list. Two of these are insecticides in the organophosphate (OP) class; Chlorpyrifos may be phased out by EPA (see draft EPA Biological Opinion July, 2008) and Azinphos-methyl is under a recent EPA phaseout that requires nursery uses cease by Sept. 2008, orchard use by 2012. Testing by DEQ is ongoing and results will be available through annual reports.

The Marion SWCD has made efforts to improve awareness of these conditions and to assist growers with adopting Best Management Practices such as sprayer calibrations, field borders, drift management through educational forums in partnership with DEQ and OSU Extension. Marion SWCD will continue to offer conservation technical assistance and outreach to help growers improve these resource concerns.

QA and Reporting

The baseline water quality monitoring is being conducted using the standard protocols described in the DEQ Water Quality Monitoring Guidebook for: stream temperature, pH, turbidity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and E. coli. The Marion SWCD will review and assess monitoring data on an annual basis. SWCD staff will train all new volunteers before any monitoring activities are done, and schedule refresher training sessions as needed. Periodic presentations of results will be given at public meetings and other venues within the watershed to interested community groups. The reports will include results, analysis and interpretation as will as pertinent field observations and QA/QC assessments.

Program Report

Our 2005-06 Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program Report report is available online! Click here to download the report as a PDF document.

If you would like to volunteer to help with the water quality monitoring effort, please contact Scott Eden at Marion SWCD, 503-391-9927.

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The Marion SWCD is an equal opportunity employer, providing services to the public without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political belief, sexual orientation, and marital or family status.

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Marion Soil and Water Conservation District
650 Hawthorne Avenue SE, Suite 130
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: (503) 391-9927
Fax: (503) 399-5799
E-mail: marion.swcd@oacd.org
Hours: 8:00am - 5:00pm, Monday thru Friday (except federal holidays)

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