Water Quality Announcement:
Bryan Duggan
Water and Environmental Specialist
It is with great pride that the Land Resources and Environmental Services (LRES) Department of the
Coquille Indian Tribe announces the installation of our newest water quality monitoring effort; the
placement of an upper bay continuous water quality monitoring instrument off shore of the KoKwel
Wharf tribal trust lands. In the works for over two years this latest component of the Tribe’s Water
Quality Monitoring Program is being implemented as part of a larger water quality monitoring
partnership between other local agencies, institutions and tribes.
Tribal peoples have long known the importance of the Coos estuary as being an integral component of
the local economy, which is true whether we look at the historical past or today, many community wide
decisions and livelihoods depend upon the quality of the waters for a workable economy.
In order to continue into a sustainable future it is imperative that we know the baseline hydrological
conditions of the estuary, to what extent our working activities have upon the waters of the bay, and
how the waters are changing over time. Through science we can track this aquatic environment by
looking at the physical attributes of the water, such as: pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen,
turbidity and specific conductivity. These parameters and how and if they change over time are clues to
the quality of the whole ecosystem, because a significant change in any one of these can lead to direct
results to the marine resources we all directly or indirectly depend upon.
The placement of this water quality instrument offshore of the KoKwel Wharf marks the beginning of
direct water quality monitoring in the upper Coos Bay estuary and will compliment ongoing water
quality monitoring of the lower bay by the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw
Indian Tribe and the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. The Coquille Indian Tribe’s
instrument shall extend the network of sophisticated monitoring occurring in the bay, which can
potentially assist in the modeling of water quality conditions into the upper bay environment.
For the time being the Tribe’s LRES department will concentrate on managing and improving the quality
of the marine data collected. Future goals for the estuarine program include the possible expansion of
the database to include an additional monitoring station, a telemetry station to platform real time data,
and public relations kiosk at the casino which will show real time data to interested guests of the Tribe.
This project is made possible by the Tribe’s Indian General Assistance Program grants through the
Environmental Protection Agency, which assists the Tribe in environmental program capacity building.
As the Tribe and the local community move into a changing future, where water way uses are redefined,
expanded and revitalized it becomes imperative that we know and can mitigate any negative impacts to
our estuarine resources. Water quality monitoring is a continuation of the Coquille Nation’s tradition of
stewardship for the land and for the next generations that follow. By tracking the estuarine environment
over time, management and development decisions can be made on sound scientific facts.
As a coastal community and as a coastal peoples our relationship and responsibility to preserving the
quality of our ecology is directly linked to the quality of our lives. So join me in welcoming this new and
exciting development within the Tribe’s LRES Department.
Depth sensor and water quality sonde.
Nathan James, tribal Natural Resource Technician
lowering the instruments into the protective
tube.