Fifty years ago, Congress passed the Clean Water Act – a monumental and far-sighted piece of environmental legislation that acknowledged increased public concern for the health of local waterways, and provided states with regulatory tools to protect their rivers, lakes, coasts and drinking water. In Oregon, we see the ongoing impacts of this law throughout the state, whether it is swimmers and boaters once again enjoying the Willamette River as it flows through Portland, fly-fishers catching healthy Rainbow trout on the Metolius River or campers reflecting on the pristine waters of Waldo Lake. Let’s celebrate a half-century of cleaner water!
Of the many things important to people in Oregon, a major one is water. DEQ plays a major role in protecting water quality of lakes, rivers and streams to ensure they can support aquatic plants and animals. Listen to the episode 14 of DEQ’s GreenState podcast to hear more from DEQ’s Water Quality Administrator Jennifer Wigal about the state of Oregon’s water as well as the staff working on improving it.
The voices in the episode are:
- Jennifer Wigal, water quality administrator.
- Lesley Merrick, water quality assessment program lead.
- Andrea Matzke, lower Willamette Basin coordinator.
- Ryan Michie, water quality analyst.
Listen to the podcast on: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.
