August 5, 2015

Over the last 50 years, Portland has made great progress for the health of our watersheds. From the Big Pipe project to our new Watershed Report Cards, our public investments are making a big difference.

Healthy waterways, forests, and wetlands improve livability, prevent flooding, and protect our infrastructure. Just as important, they’re home to local fish and other wildlife!

Wood helps strengthen our water ecosystems, so the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) recently installed 35 engineered “log jams” in the Lower Columbia Slough. The log jams will serve as habitat for migrating and breeding salmon on their way to the ocean. 

Our new Watershed Report Cards include grades for both habitat and fish and wildlife. The Columbia Slough currently has a D- rating for habitat, and an F for fish and wildlife – in part because because there has been virtually no habitat-supporting wood in the slough over the last 100 years.

We know we can do better – and these new log jams can help us earn a higher grade!

To learn more about watershed health and our Report Cards, visit BES’s website.