In late April, several organizations worked together to hold the most recent pesticide collection event in Clackamas County. More than 9,000 pounds of unused, old, restricted, or damaged pesticides were collected from area agricultural producers.
This was a great result considering the small amount of funding available to pay for proper disposal. The organizations sponsoring these events were Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District, Clackamas River Water Providers, and Clackamas River Basin Council for one event and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for the other.
Pesticide Stewardship Partnership
The Clackamas River provides drinking water for 300,000 people, recreation for thousands, and safe harbor for endangered fish to spawn, rear, and migrate. Since 2000 water monitoring has detected pesticides in Clackamas River tributaries that exceed benchmarks to protect fish and invertebrates. Because of these pesticide issues, a group of local, state, and federal organizations joined together to form the Clackamas Basin Pesticide Stewardship Partnership (Clackamas PSP). This group works together, and with watershed landowners, to reduce the pesticide levels in the Clackamas River watershed. This is a voluntary, collaborative process to protect the river and its tributaries.
Collection results
Since 2007, there have been seven events in Clackamas County using varying amounts of grant funds to pay for disposal. More than 65 tons of pesticides have been collected!
| Pounds of pesticides | When collected |
|---|---|
| 9,150 | April 2017 |
| 12,437 | November 2016 |
| 18,627 | June 2013 |
| 21,166 | October 2011 |
| 35,184 | March 2011 |
| 18,351 | 2009 |
| 17,500 | 2007 |
| Total pesticdes collected in Clackamas County: 132,415 pounds (66.2 tons) | |
Examples of pesticides collected
The amount of pesticides collected indicate that we have only begun to collect all of the old, unusable or restricted pesticides that are stored in barns and outbuildings in our region. Every pound we receive is that much less that could leak from corroded or damaged containers to contaminate surface or groundwater.
Collection protects water and saves money
These events not only protect our water quality, but they are greatly appreciated by our 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!”
Thanks to many partners
Thank you to all of the partners who coordinate to remove these chemical from our watersheds. These organizations have worked hard to pool funds from a variety of sources to pay for safe pesticide disposal:
- Clackamas River Basin Council
- Clackamas River Water Providers
- Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District
- Clean Harbors Environmental Services
- East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
- Marion Soil and Water Conservation District
- Molalla River Watch
- Oregon Department of Agriculture
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
- Oregon State University
You can say thank you!
If you would like to join us in thanking these partners, click here to open a pre-addressed email in your email client.
Social media
If you wish to share this information via social media, we suggest including these hashtags in your Facebook or Twitter post:
#ClackSWCD
#CleanWater
#PesticideReduction