Water Quality Monitoring Program
Welcome to Lincoln SWCD's Water Quality Monitoring Program page. The purpose of this page is to provide information about water quality within the Central Oregon Coast's (Mid Coast Basin) freshwater streams and rivers. This site provides access to raw water quality data that is currently being collected by Lincoln SWCD and other local partners. Lincoln SWCD's Water Quality Monitoring Program currently collects and analyzes water quality throughout 4 watersheds in Lincoln County.
Tracking the condition of water quality throughout Oregon's streams, lakes and rivers is a monumental task. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the State agency responsible for tracking, collecting and analyzing this information. To supplement their in-house monitoring, Oregon DEQ also supports community based monitoring known as Voluntary Monitoring to collect and provide additional regional data that would otherwise be unattainable given limited resources. All Voluntary Monitoring programs require written quality control and assurance plans that track the data quality to ensure only high quality data is accepted. Lincoln SWCD's Program is a Voluntary Monitoring Program.
Tracking the condition of water quality throughout Oregon's streams, lakes and rivers is a monumental task. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the State agency responsible for tracking, collecting and analyzing this information. To supplement their in-house monitoring, Oregon DEQ also supports community based monitoring known as Voluntary Monitoring to collect and provide additional regional data that would otherwise be unattainable given limited resources. All Voluntary Monitoring programs require written quality control and assurance plans that track the data quality to ensure only high quality data is accepted. Lincoln SWCD's Program is a Voluntary Monitoring Program.
Program Goals:
- Perform water quality sampling and analysis (monitoring) throughout Lincoln County watersheds to provide general, science-based information to inform landowners, the general public and our technicians about the quality of freshwater streams and rivers as they pertain to beneficial uses such as drinking water sources, recreation, aquatic farming (oysters), and aquatic life (fish, insects, etc.).
- Use the information as an educational tool and not as a way to create regulatory problems with specific landowners.
- Provide educational outreach to urban, rural and agricultural landowners about non-point source pollution causes and impacts.
- Provide the raw data that helps determine which water bodies that are not meeting (impaired) State water quality standards and that may be jeopardizing beneficial uses.
