Almost 60 Tons of Pesticides Removed from Watersheds

By Lisa Kilders on Dec 13, 2016 in Water quality & quantity, Working together

An example of a corroding pesticide container

Early in November, several organizations worked together to hold two pesticide collection events in Clackamas County. More than 8,437 pounds of unused, old, restricted, or damaged pesticides were collected from area agricultural producers.

These pesticides were safely disposed of, thus preventing potential contamination of water.

Good value for the dollar

This was a great result considering the small amount of funding available to pay for proper disposal.

The organizations sponsoring these two events were Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District and Clackamas River Water Providers. Clackamas River Basin Council assisted with one event and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) helped with the other event.

Pounds start to add-up

+Final numbers from DEQ were not available at the time of publication

Since 2007, six collection events in Clackamas County have been held. Nearly 60 tons of pesticides have been collected!

There are still more old, unusable, or restricted pesticides that are stored in barns and outbuildings in our region. Every pound we safely collect is that much less that could leak from corroded or damaged containers to contaminate surface or groundwater.

A great service

These collection events protect water quality and are greatly appreciated by local farmers. Pesticide disposal is quite expensive and often chemicals are discovered after the purchase of a property or they are inherited along with the farm or nursery.

One participant commented, “I am happy to have the opportunity to do the right thing, but it is even better that it is free!” Another participant exclaimed, “I am glad you are here! Thank you!”

Hats off to the partners

Thanks are due to the many local partners who coordinate to remove these chemical from our watersheds. Learn more about these partners who work hard to pool funds from many sources to pay for safe pesticide disposal: