We help people care for their land.

If you live near a waterway, chances are you will face the natural rise and fall of the water level in that waterway. 

In some parts of the US, natural ponds are very common.  Not so in Multnomah County.  The majority of ponds are constructed for agricultural, aesthetic, recreational, or wildlife use.  The most common natural ponds in our area are behind beaver dams.  Research shows that these are best for fish and wildlife and are less of a threat to water quality.  But what a beaver builds instinctively is not so easily replicated.  While most ponds provide habitat for wildlife, they can impair water quality and aquatic life downstream.  A poorly designed or maintained pond can be breached during a storm event, causing property damage. Ponds that are connected to a waterway can fill with sediment and are very difficult and expensive to maintain. Ponds can also be attractive to children and pets.  Consider these potential liabilities and costs and decide if the benefits outweigh the risks.

If you have a stream, creek, river, or wetland on your property you have something special in your care.  Cool, clean water in our local waterways is essential for fish and wildlife. Healthy streams benefit landowners too – in terms of aesthetics and enhanced property values.

Adequate riparian (streamside) vegetation is a vital part of good water quality.  Vegetation controls water pollution by providing cooling shade, minimizing streambank erosion, and filtering sediments and nutrients from overland flows. It also slows water flowing across the land so it has an opportunity to soak into the soil rather than running off into the stream.  In Multnomah County, agricultural activities must allow the establishment, growth, and maintenance of sufficient streamside vegetation to provide these functions.  The best way to protect water quality is to keep the existing native vegetation.  In areas that lack vegetation, control invasive plants and plant appropriate native vegetation.  Plants must also be protected from grazing animals.  Fencing livestock away from the riparian area is a great way to protect the plants.  Provide water for livestock at a small access on the stream or better yet, at a nose pump or trough in the pasture.  Horses and livestock will be healthier if they have access to clear, unpolluted water.  Technical assistance, and potentially cost share assistance, are available from the SWCDs to help you manage riparian areas to protect water quality.

Having clean water is vital to water your livestock, garden, and crops. To insure that agricultural activities don’t impair water quality, Oregon has an agricultural water quality program, administered by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA).  Many of our actions can pollute local waterways.  Elevated water temperature is considered a pollutant according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ). Water temperatures can increase dramatically when the tree or shrub shade canopy is removed along waterways, threatening the fish in the system. Bacteria and nutrients from improperly managed manure, septic systems, or unrestricted livestock access to streams, as well as chemicals from pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides, can easily make their way into the stream or into groundwater.