Madison Schultes

UNST 124k
10/28/14
Annotated Bibliography
The issue I chose was the pollution in the Willamette River, this has been a known problem for a
while. The question that researchers are trying to answer is the quality of the river water for
marine life. Also, the issue that industrialization has and had on the beginning of the pollution in
the river is discussed in these articles.

Cude, Curtis G. "Oregon Water Quality Index A Tool For Evaluating Water Quality Management
Effectiveness." Journal of the American Water Resources Association 37.1 (2001): 125-37. Print.
Annotation:
The Oregon Water Quality Index (OWQI) is a number that expresses water quality. It measures the
temperature, PH, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform, and total solids. It developed in the
1970s. It allows users to easily interpret data, and see what numbers have impairment. The OWQI
is an effective way to present quality information. Although, many in the communities need the data
translated, because they do not know how to interpret it. The Oregon water quality index has
improved since 1970s and was improved in 1995.

"Willamette River." Oregon Environmental Council. Oregon Environmental Council. Web. 2 Nov.
2014.
Annotation:
This polluted river is about 187 miles long, and is in red alert. Its a river crisis, and touches many
Oregonians lives, its worthy of renewed efforts to help it. A graph shows the dangerous levels of
pollutants in the river. The highest pollutant that is of harm is, Iron, fecal coliform, dioxin, mercury,
PCBs, and arsenic. The river has been known as polluted, and had a cleanup effort that helped, it
still has a long way to go. Human uses have dramatically altered land in the Willamette Basin from
its natural state, removing forests, grasslands, prairies, and wetlands, and converting them to
agricultural and urban uses, including nearly four miles of road for every square mile of land in the
basin, which easily is a factor to why it is so polluted.

": Willamette Riverkeeper : Pollution :." : Willamette Riverkeeper : Pollution :. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
Annotation:

Willamette falls, and West Linn industrial area border the Willamette River. This indicates all the toxic
waste that gets leaked into the river. Starting in the late 1880s there was always complaints that the
river was too dirty to drink out of but then there started to be very noticeable signs that it was true.
Many run offs are included in the Willamette River, from the rain and water that runs across farms,
parking lots, lawns, and any lands that drain into local creeks or rivers. Consequently, runoff can carry
with it whatever happens to be on the land, including oil based pollution from streets and parking lots,
pesticides or manure from fields, and other nonpoint source pollutants that are carried into the river.

"Sewage Leak Discovered into the Willamette River." - KPTV. FOX 12, 5 Apr. 2013. Web. 2 Nov.
2014.
Annotation:
An amount of sewage was leaked into the Willamette River, and was discovered near the Hawthorne
Bridge. Water samples proved that there was a small amount, but higher levels of E. coli levels. The
sewage was entered through a broken storm pipe. People were told to stay out of contact with the
river, and are finding a way to clean it up and repair the pipe.