Environmental Setting and Land Use in the Willamette Valley
Prepared by:
Tanja Aas
Western Oregon University, Spring 2008
Willamette Valley (Hulse, 2008)
Willamette Vineyard (Danehower, n.d.)
Abstract
The Willamette Valley of western Oregon is characterized by agricultural and urban land
use, with multiple pathways for environmental degradation. The southern part of the basin is
associated mainly with grass crops, while the central and northern portions support various
types of crops including grains, field crops, tree fruits and nuts, small fruits and berries and
vegetables.
The primary threat to rural degradation of water and soil quality is via the widespread
application of herbicides and insecticides. These pesticides find their way through the
channel network, ultimately discharging into the lower Columbia. This paper provides an
overview of the environmental setting of the Willamette Basin and an expose on the threat
of pesticide use to regional water quality.
Introduction
The Willamette Valley of western Oregon is characterized by both agricultural and urban
use as well as waterways and forests (see figure 1). In addition the area has also been
known for timber production and mining throughout the past 120 years in varying degree,
marking the land and the basin. Today, the basin is widely known for its agricultural
production of various berries, fruits, nuts, grains and vegetables. However, these crops
comes with a bi-product, the use of herbicides and insecticides. These pesticides find their
way down the basin and finally into the Columbia River.
Agriculture
•Dates back to mid 1880s with mostly cattle production and small crops.
•Crops included potatoes, peas, beans, cabbage, lettuce, squash, carrots,
onions, parsnips, tomatoes, melons, apples, pears, peaches and wheat.
• Today, the commercial crops consist of grass in the south, and hops, berries,
nuts, fruits, vegetables, plants, grapes, and Christmas trees.
•More than 40 different crop types have been identified in the basin
Table 1. Findings of total mass of 20 pesticides in the Willamette River in 1996. Total mass is
listed in pounds of active ingredient. (Anderson et al.,1997).
Urban Areas
•First settled in mid-1880s
•Rapid and huge growth, for example several hundred percent growth in
Portland area between 1890 – 1930.
•About 3, 7million people lived in the state in late 2006 with the largest cities
Portland, Eugene and Salem are all situated within the Willamette Basin.
(Uhrich & Wentz, 1999; Anderson et al, 1996; US. Census Bureau, 2006).
The Use of Pesticides
•With the widespread agricultural landscape of the basin, there is also
widespread uses of different pesticides.
•Pesticides can be split into two parts, insecticides and herbicides.
•In samples taken, the following herbicides were the most abundant
•Most of the herbicides used in the Willamette Valley, including Atrazine,
Metolachlor and Diuron are all broad herbicides used against weeds and
unwanted grass
•These herbicides are not only used in agricultural sites, but also along
shoulders on various highways and in urban areas.
•The insecticides found were both used in agricultural sites, but in urban
areas. (Anderson, et al., 1997)
Future
The Willamette Valley and Basin have a rich agricultural history, along with
other uses. If the population keeps growing at the same trend as in the past,
the population in the valley is expected to double by 2050. This will put an
even higher demand on both the use of the water, but also the water quality.
Pesticides as we know them today will affect the water quality in some ways.
To help keep a good water quality there need to be continuing sampling of the
water, as well as find pesticides that will not harm the water and/or people and
animals that live off the water downstream. (Hulse, et al., 2002)
References Cited
Anderson, C.W, Wood, T.M, Morace, J.L. (1997) Distribution of Dissolved Pesticides and Other
Water Quality Constituents in Small Streams, and their Relations to Land Use, in the
Willamette River Basin, Oregon, 1996. U.S Department of the Interior & U.S. Geological
Survey, Water-Resources Investigation Report 97-4268.
Danehower, C. (n.d.) A quick Oregon wine primer. Retrieved May 15, 2008 from
http://www.oregon.com/wines/cole.cfm
Figure 2. Spraying of pesticide (Wilson, n. d.)
Figure 1. Willamette Basin
Land Use (Fegeas et al., 1983)
Land Use History
Mining
•Dating back to 1880s with gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and cinnabar from mercury.
•Peak of the industry was during WWII, today the industry focuses on sand, gravel and
crushed rock.
Timber production
•Oregon has been the leading state in this industry since 1938.
•Between 1947-1995 a total of 128,700 million board feet (mbf) were cut down and
processed in the Willamette Basin.
Figure 3. Types of pesticides. (Pesticide
Action Network ,n.d.)
Water Quality tests in Willamette Valley
•In 1996, water quality tests were being conducted in 16 different spots on the
Willamette River between Eugene and Beaverton.
•Samples were taken a total of 5 times, twice in the spring and fall and once in
the summer.
• Tested in both agricultural (12) and urban (4) areas (see table 1)
•Showed evidence of 29 herbicides and 7 insecticides, among them:
•Atrazine (99 %)
•Desethylatrazine (93%)
•Simazine (85%)
•Metoloachlor (85 %)
•Diuron (73%)
•All samples showed different results during different time of the year varying
with the discharge of the rivers.
•Overall, the water quality samples failed on the high level of E.coli bacteria
No DDT was found in either of the samples. (Anderson et al., 1997)
Fegeas, R.G., Claire, R.W., Guptill, S.C., Anderson, K.E., and Hallam, C.A. (1983) U.S.
Geological Survey digital cartographic data standards--Land use and land cover digital data:
U.S. Geological Survey Circular 895-E, 21. Retrieved May 20, 2008 from
http://or.water.usgs.gov/projs_dir/pn366/landuse.html
Hulse, C (2008) Willamette Valley photo. Retrieved May 15 from
http://www.thesoggyblogger.blogspot.com/
Hulse, D., Gregory, S., Baker, J. (2002). The Willamette River Basin Planning Atlas:
Trajectories of Environmental and Ecological Change: Oregon State University Press.
Retrieved May 5, 2008 from
http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/projects/alternativefutures/alternativefutures.htm
Pesticide Action Network (n.d.) Toxic Trail Retrieved May 20, 2008 from
http://www.communityipm.org/toxictrail/issue1-Industry.htm
Uhrich, M.A. & Wentz, D.A. (1999). Environmental Setting of the Willamette Basin, Oregon.
U.S. Department of the Interior & U.S. Geological Survey. Water resources Investigation
Reports 97-4082-A.
U.S Census Bureau (2008). Oregon Quickfacts. Retrieved May 20 from
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41000.html
Wilson, D. (n.d.) Spraying pesticides on peas near Walla, Walla, WA. Photo retrieved May 20
from http://www.usda.gov/oc/photo/95cs4180.htm