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FOREWORDThe American public has identified the enhancement and protection of river quality as an important national goal, and recent laws have given this commitment considerable force. As a consequence, a considerable investment has been made in the past few years to improve the quality of the Nation's rivers. Further improvements will require substantial expenditures and the consumption of large amounts of energy. For these reasons, it is important that alternative plans for river-quality management be scientifically assessed in terms of their relative ability to produce environmental benefits. To aid this endeavor, this circular series presents a case history of an intensive river-quality assessment in the Willamette River basin, Oregon.The series examines approaches to and results of critical aspects of riverquality assessment. The first several circulars describe approaches for providing technically sound, timely information for river-basin planning and management. Specific topics include practical approaches to mathematical modeling, analysis of river hydrology, analysis of earth resources-river quality relations, and development of data-collection programs for assessing specific problems. The later circulars describe the application of approaches to existing or potential river-quality problems in the Willamette River basin. Specific topics include maintenance of high-level dissolved oxygen in the river, effects of reservoir release patterns on downstream river quality, algal growth potential, distribution of toxic metals, and the significance of erosion potential to proposed future land and water uses.Each circular is the product of a study devoted to developing resource information for general use. The circulars are written to be informative and useful to informed laymen, resource planners, and resource scientists. This design stems from the recognition that the ultimate success of river-quality assessment depends on the clarity and utility of approaches and results as well as their basic scientific validity.Individual circulars will be published in an alphabetical sequence in the Geological Survey Circular 715 series entitled uRiver-Quality Assessment of the Willamette River Basin, Oregon." Concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and Lovv-temperature limitation ____________________ 25Major nutrient limitation________________________ 28 August 7, 1973 ----------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------10 6. Hydrograph of the Willamette River at Portland, 1974 ----------------------------------------------11 --------------------------------------------- . Stephanodiscus hantzschii __________________________________________________ ----------------14 10. Achnanthes minutissima _____________________________________________________ -------------__ 14 11. Melosira distans ______________________________________________________________ ------------15 Cymbella uentricosa ------------------------------------------------------------------------15 13. Asterionella formo...

25 14. Graph showing inorganic nitrogen concentration in the Willamette River during August 12-14, 1974 ______ 25 15. Graphs showing summertime (low-flow condition) diel DO curves at various sites on Willamette River and tributaries,

Free on application to the U.S. Geological Survey, Notional Center, Reston, Va. 22092 FOREWORDThe American public has identified the enhancement and protection of river quality as an important national goal, and recent laws have given this commitment considerable force. As a consequence, a considerable investment has been made in the past few years to improve the quality of the Nation's rivers. Further improvements will require substantial expenditures and the consumption of large amounts of energy. For these reasons, it is important that alternative plans for river-quality management be scientifically assessed in terms of their relative ability to produce environmental benefits. To aid this endeavor, this circular series presents a case history of an intensive river-quality assessment in the Willamette River basin, Oregon.The series examines approaches to and results of critical aspects of riverquality assessment. The first several circulars describe approaches for providing technically sound, timely information for river-basin planning and management. Specific topics include practical approaches to mathematical modeling, analysis of river hydrology, analysis of earth resources-river quality relations, and development of data-collection programs for assessing specific problems. TI?-e later circulars describe the application of approaches to existing or potential river-quality problems in the Willamette River basin. Specific topics include maintenance of high-level dissolved oxygen in the river, effects of reservoir release patterns on downstream river quality, algal growth potential, distribution of toxic metals, and the significance of erosion potential to proposed future land and water uses.Each circular is the product of a study devoted to developing resource information for general use. The circulars are written to be informative and useful to informed laymen, resource planners, and resource scientists. This design stems from the recognition that the ultimate success of river-quality assessment depends on the clarity and utility of approaches and results as well as their basic scientific validity.Individual circulars will be published in an alphabetical sequence in the Geological Survey Circular 715 series entitled uRiver-Quality Assessement of the Willamette River Basin, Oregon." CONTENTS Page PageForewordSelection of assessment methods _ _ ______ _________ __ 7 River-quality assessment__________________________ 1 Identification, collection, and collation of required Forecasting impacts of planning alternatives ______ 12 4Communication of results ------------------------13 5Program evaluation ------------------------------16 5 Summary and discussion------------------------------16 5 References cited-------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14 -------------------------------------A7 CONVERSION FACTORS Multiply English unitsBy To obtain SI unitsCubic metres per second (m 3 /s) (1975) conducting an intensive river-quality as...

The U.S. Geological Survey recently completed an intensive river quality assessment study of the Willamette River basin, Oregon. The most noteworthy finding was that across-the-board advanced waste treatment was not the answer to the problem of meeting stringent water quality standards established for the Willamette River. This implies that rigid nationwide standards and regulations are likely to result in unneeded expenditures in some river basins and in unachieved standards in others. It was also found that existing water quality data collected under monitoring- and surveillance-type programs are inadequate for defining the critical cause-effect relationships that control river quality problems. Intensive, synoptic surveys keyed to local problems and conditions are required to provide an adequate information base for making key management decisions.