LIFTED-Warning - Tulatin River- Toxic River Algae

Sorry for not posting earlier, got busy and sidetracked, but I feel obligated to post this since I'm always recommending the Tualatin...

"http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_071008_news_algae_tualatin_river.42408239.html

I was down there on Sunday at Cook Park, heard about the warning going out on the 12th, anyways there were all kinds of signs around the dock saying to stay out, toxic area, ect...

I was on that bastard on the 9th, was like "hmm that looks kinda like pea soup"... 

So this was almost two weeks ago.  Is the river still bad?

Yes.

 I keep waiting for it to clear up, it hasn't yet.  It was really bad around the 12-14th... Looked like Blue latex paint was dumped into it, and supposedly it was the consistency of clam chowder...  It's such a slow moving river (especially that far down), it might take some time for it to clear out.  Was noticing that there was a blue green algae warning on Hills Creek that lasted from May 15th to July 16th =(

They are releasing more water from Henry Hagg Lake to clean this out...  I'll call later today and see if they have any ETA, or any updated information...

http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/envtox/maadvisories.shtml#hillscreek

Just adding my two cents... don't mess around with this stuff.  Some varieties of blue green algae give off toxins that can attack the central nervous system and cause liver damage.  Microcystin is the really, really bad stuff.

Too much agricultural run-off, sewage, and fertilizers from yards and golf courses entering a very slow, low gradient river.  What a mess.

Looks like the warning has been lifted on the Tualatin and it is safe once again.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/07/tualatin_river_algae_bloom_was.html

Will be headed out tonight from Cook park.  Going to see what sort of toxic fish I can catch haha. 

If anyone wants to meetup let me know...

Glad to hear that the noxious algae is gone.  My wife actually wanted to go out kayaking there about a month ago and we had plans for the weekend this warning went up.  Hopefully I can convince her to give it another try soon.

USGS Scientist to Speak on Algae Mystery

The Oregon Department of Human Services has lifted the toxic blue-green algae health advisory for the Tualatin River, but many questions remain. What were the contributing factors that made this algae bloom occur this year? Are there new pollution sources that fed the algae? Is this something we can expect to happen in the future? How can we prevent this from happening again?

On Tuesday August 12, U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist Stewart Rounds will decipher the data gathered during the algae bloom and shed some light on these mysteries. Stewart is a top-notch scientist whose presentations are known to be intriguing, informative and understandable. You won't want to miss this presentation.

Stewart will speak at Max's Fanno Creek Brew Pub , 12562 SW Main St in Tigard. The presentation starts at 6:30pm in the meeting room in back. Come early for dinner and conversation. Everyone is welcome. Seating is limited, so please RSVP to brian@tualatinriverkeepers.org. Sponsored by Tualatin Riverkeepers Citizen Action Committee

Brian Wegener
Watershed Watch Coordinator
Tualatin Riverkeepers
12360 SW Main St -Suite 100
Tigard, OR 97223
office:  (503)620-7507  cell: (503)936-7612
Website:  www.tualatinriverkeepers.org
 
August 12 at 6:30pm
USGS Scientist  Stewart Rounds to speak on toxic blue-green algae bloom in the Tualatin River.
Max's Fanno Creek Brew Pub,Tigard -
RSVP to brian@tualatinriverkeepers.org

I might just attend that, especially since it's at a pub! haha