Watershed Management Plan: Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon is one of the most sustainable cities in the U.S and is well-known for its urban appeal. Various bureaus within the city have consistently found ways to incorporate sustainability at a time when managing economic pressures and increased demands for natural resources have otherwise been challenging. It comes as no surprise then, that efforts in restoring watershed health play a large role in the city’s overall agenda. Every watershed within Portland’s jurisdiction serves an important purpose; and, while individual management plans do exist, a comprehensive plan has been created to give perspective of watershed health on a city-wide scale. Not only does this allow the city to meet multiple objectives but it also helps focus on the actual sources and causes of environmental problems (City of Portland Environmental Services, 2005). Portland is considered to be a large metropolitan area, encompassing 130 square miles (City of Portland Environmental Services, 2005). It is very urbanized and while it may be one of the most sustainable cities, it is certainly not without problems. More specifically, pollution has significantly degraded Portland’s watersheds and the city’s growth is exceeding the capacity of its sanitary sewer infrastructure (City of Portland Environmental Services, 2005). Across five watersheds – Columbia Slough, Johnson Creek, Fanno Creek, Tryon Creek, and the Willamette River – numerous issues exist. For the purpose of this paper, each watershed will be discussed separately and briefly to determine whether goals are achievable. Columbia Slough The Columbia Slough Watershed is vital to the city’s overall well-being. It is home to almost 160,000 people,... ... middle of paper ... ...ria shows that watersheds as a whole serve a vital purpose. Student Learning Points I found it unique that Portland has addressed their watershed individually and collectively. It really shows that the city has taken it upon itself to target city-wide issues that result from poor watershed health. This appears to be a major factor as to how this plan will prove to be effective. During major projects and in formulating plans, each bureau has kept in mind that improving watershed health is directly linked with positive outcomes. Aside from funding which was not addressed, there is no doubt that using this strategy will prove to be effective in meeting goals. It also provides new opportunities for the city to grow into one that leads in the area of sustainability when compared to other cities that are struggling with urbanization and high rates of pollution.
"Water Pollution." Current Issues: Macmillan Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May 2014.
Metro Atlanta is on a collision course with reality – and the shock of this collision will have profound political and economic implications for future growth throughout the Southeast. The core problem is that Atlanta’s runaway growth will soon outstrip the available water supply (Corps, 1998). And if Atlanta continues to increase its water consumption until the maximum limits are reached, the effects on downstream users will become catastrophic, both economically and environmentally.
Conflict between residents in northern Nevada and SNWA has risen (Brean, 2015). In 2012 the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced its support of SNWA wanting to build a pipeline from rural Nevada to Las Vegas, rural Nevada being primarily in the northern portion of the state (Larsen et al., 2015). Residents including farmers who depend on water for their crops argue that redirecting water supplies would harm the environment and wildlife that inhabit northern Nevada (Brean, 2015). There is also an issue of oversubscription, this is due to the Colorado River not only supplying water to Nevada but neighboring states which include “Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah” (Wockner, 2014). Both Arizona and California are expecting water shortages in the future as they too depend on the Colorado River (Wockner, 2014).
... piece of wildlife within a city. The purpose of the project is to restore the refuge into a place that it really meant to be, an ecosystem fit to support the refugees within. It will bring back a real slice of nature back to everyone backyard. The improvement to water quality of the lake can finally support the organisms that used to live there. The improvement can be sighted with the appearance of the river otter and the disappearance of the smell. The smell that once drive away joggers and children will be gone enabling them to experience the beauty of the lake within its blemishes causes by humans. Children can finally experience the true of an actual sanctuary for all creatures both aquatic and terrestrial when the return of aquatic life recovers. This project is a small step to bring back the former glory of Oakland’s main aspect of attraction to the world.
The Colorado River Delta is a vast stream of water that begins in the Rocky Mountains and flows to the Gulf of California. It is the primary source of water for the western part of the United States, making the golden nectar available to Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Mexico. Because of miscellaneous international treaties and over 40 dams built along the river’s path (Ficklin 1), it is slowly becoming the most controlled of all watersheds. With the populations of these towns becoming greater, the amount of pull on the river from the society has increased as a rapid rate. Normally that would not be a problem but given the context, water sources are not as dynamic--fluid, if you will, as the world would often appreciate.
There are many causes and solutions to the deterioration of the Colorado River. The Colorado River is not the great river it used to be, with an abundant amount of healthy water, thriving wildlife and abundant plant life. With climate change, water salinity, pollution, and natural runoffs, the river’s water quality has deteriorated immensely. However, if communities and environmental groups join forces to research and raise money to find ways to help improve the Colorado River, it can get back to its original condition. This issues affects those who live by the river, concluding that I live somewhere near the river, I would love to see a change in the rivers condition to not only help the nature around it, but to help myself and others.
...ell. We should care about the health and well-being of the plant and animal life around us because the majority of us also depend on these animals and their life cycles for nourishment. The water from thiswatershed, as well as others, is where we get our drinking water, irrigation and other industrial water usage, which means that the animals depend on this water as well. If they ingest harmful chemicals, we in turn ingest these chemicals with our daily food intake. The James River Association accepts volunteers to assist with the care of the Chesapeake River watershed and its sub-watersheds. There are lots of other ways to get involved in the prevention of further pollution to our precious natural resources. The first step is to not become part of the problem. Do not liter, don’t dump your oils in the gutters and think that you are not part of the problem.
The Klamath Lake, along with other various rivers, lakes and canals that surround it, are the basis for almost 500 species of wildlife in southern Oregon and parts of northern California. It also serves as the most important factor in a farmer’s livelihood; their irrigation. The basis for the water crisis that is going to today in this region is that the current water levels and somewhat water quality are diminishing and reeking havoc on the area’s wildlife. The most notable argument from our guest lecturers and Steve Kandra (our somewhat uninvited tour guide), is that the water levels are too shallow for the two species of sucker fish to fully mature and to spawn. This makes it difficult to the many other species that rely on the sucker for a source of food, the most popular being the bald eagle, which is also an endangered species. Aside from the wildlife issues, the other main issue involved in this water crisis is the right to water usage. Some of these water rights date back many years but, they are still having difficulty deciding who gets to use the water and exactly how much they should use. There are also many other parties involved in this crisis, aside from environmentalists and irrigators, which I feel, are left out and many people don’t realize their role in the crisis.
The Colorado River is on a path that will take it to its end. The river is running out of water and cannot keep up with the high demand. New technology and growing industries require more water and more power. Organizations are attempting to solve the problem through public policy but the task may prove too large. Humans have changed the coarse of nature and it is up to us to come together and fight for change.
The Brazos River Authority is the organization that is mostly involved in watershed projects in the Bosque River Watershed. It has been working to coordinate efforts to improve the watershed. Its efforts have been made possible by the Clean Water Act. Its main objective has been to identify all projects dealing with pollution prevention, monitor their progress, track the rules and regulations, identify trends in water quality, assist in the efficient use of resources, and enhance communication between the relevant parties. The Authority also provides a point of contact between the various stakeholders a...
About 80% of the State’s surveyed freshwater rivers and streams have good water quality that fully supports aquatic life uses, 17% have fair water quality that partially supports aquatic life uses, and 3% have poor water quality that does not support aquatic life uses. Ten percent of the surveyed rivers do not fully support swimming. The major sources of impairment are agriculture (responsible for 53% of the impaired river miles), urban runoff (responsible for 16%), and construction (responsible for 13%). These sources generate siltation, bacteria, and organic wastes that deplete disssolved opxygen.
The San Joaquin River Project was a plan completed in 2009 made to recreate San Joaquin River, which was dried up after dams were built in 1942. The San Joaquin River restoration is to bring back water flows from the San Joaquin river to the Friant Dam, and to revive the salmon and other fish population. There are two articles debating whether they either agree or disagree with the project. I chose the article, “River Plan Too Fishy For My Taste Buds”. This article came from The Fresno Bee newspaper, which correspondingly means it came from Fresno. The type of people who live in Fresno are farmers, workers who work for other people, democrats, and people who care more about jobs rather than the environment. I agree with this article from The Fresno Bee because I believe Bill McEwen, the author of this article, is the better expert because of his credentials and achievements. I will be using the article “River Restoration Project Offers a Sprinkling of Hope” by Daniel Weintraub to back up my argument.
Then the documentary tackles Puget Sound. The Duwamish River is the largest hot spot in the nation. In 2001, the Duwamish River was classified as a “Super Fund” site. This is given to a site that will receive federal assistance for clean up. But yet, it may be too late. Puget Sound in contaminated with PCP, lead and mercury. The threat comes from the giant industrial polluters of old and from chemicals in consumers’ face creams, deodorants, prescription medicines and household cleaners that find their way into sewers, storm drains, eventually into America’s waterways and drinking water.
Water is essential for humanity’s survival, and even though the world is largely covered by water, only a small percentage is only usable for human consumption. Approximately, on average, 120,000 gallons of water are used annually for a single-family household (Galbraith). This alarming number could be reduced dramatically for the efforts of water conserving and lower water bill prices for families and subsequently saving money that could be used for other expenses. Thus, conserving water would prove beneficial and advantageous to not just Texas, but for everyone else as well. Although environmental policies have been not as popular with Congress and the state legislature, it is still an important problem to consider since there are only a limited amount of resources for public use, such as water.
"Protecting Water Quality from Agricultural Runoff." Home. EPA, Mar. 2005. Web. 9 Mar. 2012. .