Is The Columbia River at Marine Park a safe place to play in the water?

The Columbia River The largest river in the PNW, 4 th largest in the U.S. 1,243 miles long It is a seventh order stream It is central to our region’s economy and culture, and has been for centuries 14 dams provide hydroelectric power to the region

Watershed=258,000 sq.miles

My Testing Site Marine Park - Lewis and Clark expedition camped here on March 30, Now it’s a 26 acre community park with a boat ramp, play area, picnic tables, and walking trails. - Diverse wildlife population, supporting several species of water fowl, including bald eagles, osprey, herons, and Canadian geese.

Marine Park

Testing Results

Macroinvertabrates

Macro Count Common NameCountTolerance midge6T clam9T mite2M Total17

Results # of sensitive organisms x3= 0 # of moderately sensitive organisms x2= 2 # of tolerant organisms x1= 15 Total= 17 Poor – 0-10 Fair – Good – Excellent – 23-35

Is the Columbia River safe for human contact? According to my results, YES! The pH, phosphate, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and coliform bacteria all point to a healthy aquatic environment.

Works Cited Watershed map, pg 2 ColBasinMap.gif ColBasinMap.gif Bufford, Judy. Benthic Macroinvertabrates Presentation; 31, July Marine Park History Map- /West_overview.jpg /West_overview.jpg