In early 2007, the Surfrider Foundation was approached by the Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District about participating in a joint water quality monitoring program. It was a perfect match: Surfrider already had the lab in Newport and the project funding would support other supplies needed for testing additional water quality parameters. The partners and expertise of the
Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) made this project move forward quite smoothly. We developed a framework for cooperation bringing
Surfrider Foundation Newport Chapter,
Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District,
DEQ, and the
Oregon Coast Aquarium into a formal partnership. Using DEQ training and expertise, volunteers across the Mid-Coast Basin familiar with local watersheds are able to test for different water quality parameters and engage as a community in this statewide TMDL process. This will position us very well in the coming years as DEQ defines impaired waterways and water quality standards in the Mid-Coast Basin. Follow
http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2007/07/05/news/news17.txt to read the full article. Major thanks to all the volunteers and partners who helped make this happen!
