Protecting the Willamette

The Willamette at Risk

The image of a cleaned-up Willamette River on the cover of a 1972 issue of National Geographic served as a catalyst for passing the federal Clean Water Act that same year.

The Willamette continued to have problems, but after 30 years of consistent interpretation of the Clean Water Act to apply to all of America's waters, point-source pollution into the Willamette from big industrial polluters has largely been eliminated.

Unfortunately, two recent Supreme Court Decisions reversed 30 years of consistent legal interpretation and stripped federal clean water protections from 53% of of Oregon's streams and rivers as well as many of our wetlands. The judicial activism of the Bush Court in those two court decisions has also resulted in the U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers dropping and settling thousands of enforcement actions across the country.

This potentially puts all Oregon waters at risk, and threatens the habitat of salmon, birds and wildlife, our drinking water and public health, and the ability to attract workers and businesses to our communities.

Restoring Federal Clean Water Law

The solution is to restore the federal Clean Water Act to its full jurisdiction. The Supreme Court and Bush administration limited the definition of "navigable waters" under the Clean Water Act.  We need to amend the Clean Water Act so that it's clear as day that our nation's most important water law applies to all of our rivers, streams, and wetlands.

There are two bills before Congress that will fix the problem. In the senate, the it's called the Clean Water Restoration Act. In the House, it's called the America's Commitment to Clean Water Act. The senate bill has already passed out of the key Environment and Public Works Committee and is now awaiting a vote on the senate floor.  The house bill was just introduced and is now before the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee..

Political Landscape

Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are already co-sponsors to the senate bill.  We are working with them as champions to assure the bill passes out of the Senate.

In the House, it is key that we get the support of Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-4) of Eugene.  He sits on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the committee that the house bill is currently before. Congressman DeFazio co-sponsored a similar bill in 2007, but has not yet stated his support for the America's Commitment to Clean Water Act this year.

Take Action

Tell Congressman DeFazio to support the America's Commitment to Clean Water Act.

Additional Facts

—The Willamette and its many designated wild & scenic tributaries are home to a complex web of fish and wildlife, critical to the survival of the threatened Steelhead and Spring Chinook salmon.

—Fishermen, birders, kayakers, and swimmers – key to Oregon’s $6 billion recreation industry – and the more than 2.5 million Oregonians who live in the valley depend on a clean Willamette for safe drinking and a high quality of life.

—One of fifteen American Heritage Rivers, the Willamette has the thirteenth greatest flow and basin has the most per-area surface runoff of any major river in the United States.