Monitoring Programs Overview

Water Quality Monitoring Program

Tracking the condition of water quality throughout Oregon’s streams, lakes, and rivers is a monumental task. The 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 Soil and Water Conservation District’s (LSWCD) water quality monitoring projects fall under this category.

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 are not meeting (impaired) State water quality standards and that may be jeopardizing beneficial uses.

Watershed Profiles & Water Quality Data

Agricultural Water Quality Management Act (SB1010)

In 1993, the Oregon Legislature passed the Agricultural Water Quality Management Act (Oregon Revised Statutes 568.900 through 568.933).

The legislation directed the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) to develop plans to prevent and control water pollution from agricultural activities and soil erosion on rural lands. ODA is also responsible for ensuring that farmers and ranchers help achieve water quality standards and meet the agricultural pollutant load allocations assigned by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in their Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). Water Quality TMDLs Program.

Because agricultural pollution is complex with mostly diffuse (nonpoint) sources, Oregon’s Agricultural Water Quality Management Program focuses on landscape conditions that support clean water and healthy watersheds. The Program uses various technical references to identify landscape conditions that should be achieved. The landscape-based approach provides landowners with certainty about their responsibilities and focuses on conditions within landowners’ control.​

Farmers and ranchers must comply with the Area Rules (PDF), but how they comply is up to them. For example, regulations require farmers to prevent pollution from soil erosion. A farmer may use various ways to prevent erosion or control eroded soil. Options include no-till farming, installing sediment basins to catch eroded soil, farming along the contour of the field, and many other strategies.

Farmers may comply on their own or get help from others, including local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs). ODA invites the local SWCD to attend each compliance investigation. SWCD technicians can provide suggestions during an investigation for strategies to correct water quality problems and work with a farmer or rancher after the investigation to address problems identified. ODA staff make a reasonable attempt to receive permission from the landowner or operator to enter the land to conduct investigations.

However, if permission is denied, ODA also has the authority to enter lands as stated in ORS 568.915. During the investigation, ODA staff interview the landowner or operator, document observations, and gather data and photographs while onsite. Staff write thorough investigation reports that are reviewed by several other staff to ensure consistency. The program then sends a letter to the landowner describing their compliance status.

Enforcement actions are rare. If a problem is identified during an investigation, ODA gives the landowner an opportunity to correct the problem before taking enforcement action. This approach has been very successful, and the program is generally able to attain compliance through advisories and warnings.

How To File a Complaint

• Agricultural Water Quality Program Complaint Form ​(PDF)

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is charged with the investigation of situations that cause pollution of public waterways. The Department does not regulate odor, dust, or nuisance complaints caused by normal farming. Information received from Oregon’s concerned citizens is vital to our efforts to protect the environment.

If you believe that Oregon water quality laws have been violated, we urge you to submit an agricultural water quality complaint. While you are not required to use the form below, persons filing a complaint must submit it in writing and provide the information requested on the form. A signature is required for forms that are mailed or faxed. Completed complaints may be sent to:

• ​​Oregon Department of Agriculture
  Water Quality Program
  635 Capitol Street Northeast
  Salem, Oregon 97301
  Fax: (503) 986-4730
  Email Water Quality Program

Mid Coast Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Plan

• 2002 Administrative Rules (PDF)
• 2017 to 2022 Progress Report (PDF)
• Mid Coast Executive Summary (PDF)

Spawning Survey & Aquatic Habitat Monitoring

Our goal is to document the environmental responses to conservation practices through species monitoring in order to evaluate their effectiveness on the local ecosystem.

• Steelhead Population Trends (PDF)
• Salmon Population Trends (PDF)

What Do We Monitor?

• Stream restoration projects
• Fish passage improvement projects
• Fish usage in project areas

What Methods Do We Use?

• Pre & Post project aquatic inventory (Habitat surveys)
• Direct on-ground observations
• Adult salmonid spawning ground surveys

Aquatic Habitat Inventory Process

• Pre and post-project Aquatic Habitat Inventory following Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) protocols
• Qualifying & quantifying: Habitat Units, Stream Gradient, Substrate, Unit Length & Wetted Width, Channel Morphology, Channel Metrics, % Shade, % Undercuts, % Active Erosion, Fish and Wildlife Use, Land Use and Ownership
• Digitization, Quality Control, and Submission to ODFW for Analysis
• Post-Project Inventory with Analysis

Habitat: Determining Results

• Set restoration goals based on pre-project habitat conditions
• Bed load accumulation vs. entrenchment
• Gravel retention vs. scouring
• Floodplain interaction & terrace building
• Habitat complexity and large wood recruitment
• Comparison of analysis of Pre & Post Inventories
• Comparison of queries on raw data of Pre & Post Inventories

Habitat Reporting Process

• Supply MidCoast Watersheds Council and/or other partners with access to Pre & Post project analysis and Pre & Post Raw Data for inclusion in project final reports where appropriate
• Include project monitoring results in final reports to OWEB
• Data is available upon request - Contact Lincoln Soil and Water!

Adult Spawning Surveys

Spawning surveys are conducted for Chinook, coho, and chum salmon, steelhead, and lamprey. All surveys are coordinated with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Oregon Adult Salmonid Inventory & Sampling Project for consistency. Data collected includes the numbers of each species and redds. Bio-information includes length, sex, scale samples (to determine age), collect snouts on tagged (hatchery) fish, DNA (when requested), and other basin-specific projects. The surveys we do are:

• Spring Chinook Float Surveys​​
• Fall Chinook Walking Surveys
• Fall Coho Walking Surveys
• Winter Steelhead Float Surveys
• Winter Steelhead Walking Surveys

Spring Chinook Float Surveys – Alsea & Siletz Rivers ​

• ​Alsea River Surveys​:
  • ​Honeygrove Bridge to Schoolhouse Creek
  • South Fork Alsea to Schoolhouse Creek
  • Schoolhouse Creek to Salmonberry Park
  • Salmonberry Park to Digger Creek
  • Digger Creek to Big Riffle Ranch Road
• Siletz River Surveys:
  • Logsden to Twin Bridges
  • Twin Bridges to Illahee Park
  • Ojalla Bridge to Morgan Park

Coho, Chinook, Chum, & Steelhead Walking Survey Results

• Many of these surveys have had LWD Placement
• Direct on-ground observations and documentation of fish use & stream changes throughout the winter and spring
• Steelhead Surveys Results (PDF)
  • Alsea River Basin
  • Ocean Outfalls
  • Salmon River Basin
  • Siletz River Basin
  • Yachats River Basin
  • Yaquina River Basin
• Coho/Chinook/Chum Survey Results (PDF)
  • Alsea River Basin
  • North & South Beaver Creek
  • Ocean Outfalls
  • Rock Creek
  • Salmon River Basin
  • Siletz River Basin
  • Yachats River Basin​​

Please contact Lincoln Soil and Water with your questions or to request information about fish in your local watershed.