The Molalla River Drinking Water Project needs your input.
After two years of work with local residents, land managers, municipalities, community groups, and state and federal agencies, Clackamas SWCD and Cascade Environmental Group are excited to present the final draft assessment and drinking water source area protection plan for the Molalla River Drinking Water Project.Here’s the video:
This presentation provides an overview of the findings of the assessment and describes recommended community actions to ensure continued delivery of high quality drinking water now and into the future.
Once the current assessment efforts are completed on June 30, 2021, Clackamas SWCD will convene members of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the broader community to undertake the implementation of recommended actions, which are offered in four two-year phases beginning in 2022 and running through 2029. As better information is gathered through monitoring and analysis, the plan will be modified to better address the challenges in the watershed.
Clackamas SWCD has committed to continued coordination of the TAC, which will meet quarterly to discuss progress and ways to collaborate to address the challenges impacting Molalla River drinking water source area quality. Community engagement and direct involvement will be necessary if the recommended actions in the plan are to be implemented.
First Phase of Plan Focuses on Agricultural Producers
The Protection Plan focuses on protecting water before it enters the three municipal water intakes serving the Cities of Canby and Molalla, and the community of Colton. The goal of the project is to keep clean water clean and of high quality for drinking, both now and into the future, by asking funders to invest in the Molalla basin to accomplish planned goals.
Our first chance to bring in resources will likely be for agricultural producers as the grant dollars for the assessment are set up to be followed up with implementation funding if we determine a need and enough interest in water quality projects. Our initial plan is to request funds for agricultural implementation in 2022 after additional data is gathered identify which tributaries are most impactful to drinking water source quality.
If you are considering projects like stream side plantings, irrigation efficiency improvements, or livestock pasture or turnout improvements, Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District can discuss how we might be able to help with technical and potentially financial resources. Contact us and we will connect you with one of our conservation planners about your needs.
If you have not already, we encourage you to view the presentation and provide input. We want to be sure we have as broad a range of views about drinking water source quality as possible so that we have the most accurate representation of issues as possible.
The Molalla River Watershed provides drinking water to people in Colton, Molalla, and Canby.
The Molalla River Drinking Water Project
The Molalla River Watershed provides water to residents in Colton, Molalla, and Canby.
Clackamas SWCD provides technical advice to landowners in Clackamas County to solve natural resource-related issues and is sponsoring the Molalla River Drinking Water Project.
The Molalla River Drinking Water Project is an effort to better understand issues affecting drinking water quality for approximately 26,000 people whose drinking water is drawn directly from the Molalla River. Project sponsors are seeking input from members of the public about their perceptions of drinking water source quality and issues of concern.
While the project focuses on water entering municipal intakes in City of Canby, City of Molalla, and the community of Colton, it assesses factors across the entire Molalla River watershed above the City of Canby’s water intake that have potential to impact drinking water source quality.
Using National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) grant dollars from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Clackamas SWCD is pairing current and historical information with input from the public, land managers, agencies, and community organizations to tell the story of drinking water quality in the Molalla Watershed. The final report will describe where investment of resources will bring the biggest return for drinking water source quality protection and improvement.
