Quality of Surface Waters in the Lower Columbia River Baein By J. F. SANTOS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1784 A discussion of the chemical quality of streams tributary to the lower Columbia River basin and of the physical and sanitary quality of many of the streams; includes data on radioactivity of the main stem UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1965 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director The U.S. Geological Survey Library has cataloged this publication as follows : Santos, John Francis 1921- Quality of surface waters in the lower Columl ia River basin. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1965. iv, 78 p. maps, diagrs., table. 24 cm. (U.S. Geological Survey. Water-supply paper 1784) Bibliography: p. 72-73. 1. Water Analysis. 2. Water-supply Columbia River basin. I. Title. (Series) For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 30 cents (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Abstract___ _____________________________________________________ 1 Introduction._ ______________________---_______________----_-_-__-- 2 Purpose and scope of investigation___________-____-_-_-_---__-- 2 Previous investigations.__-_______---______________-----_----_-- 2 Acknowledgments. ____________________________________________ 4 Description of lower Columbia River basin.__ ____________________ 5 Precipitation and runoff.________-___________-_____---___---___- 5 Expression of results.______________________-__-______--_---_._- 8 Streams tributary to the lower Columbia River_____-______--___-_--___ 9 Walla Walla River_________________________________________ 9 Umatilla River and Willow Creek-______________________________ 14 John Day River_______________________________________________ 19 Deschutes River.______________-_____-_-_-__-_-_-_--___--___- 23 Klickitat River__________________________-_-_-_---------__-_ 28 Mount Hood streams._-___-____-_-_-_________-____----_-__---- 30 Willamette River____________________________________________ 32 Lewis River_____-________-_______-----___---_-_-_-_--_----_- 44 Cowlitz River.________________________________________________ 46 Tributaries to the Columbia River below the Cowlitz River___-__--_ 49 Columbia River main stem_________________________________________ 50 Chemical quality____________________---_--_-_____--__-_--____- 51 Salinity of the tidal portion of the Columbia River________________ 56 Pollution. __________________________________________________ 57 Radioactivity _________________________________________________ 58 Water use.___________________________________________________ 61 Conclusions_ _ _---_-_______-_____________----_______--____-----__ 64 Selected references.._______________________________________________ 72 Index_ ___________________________________________________________ 75 ILLUSTRATIONS Page FIGURE 1. Location of sampling stations in the lower Columbia River basin_______________________________________________ 3 2. Water discharge of major streams in the lower Columbia River basin. ____________________________________ 6 3. Mean annual discharge characteristics of selected streams in the lower Columbia River basin______________________ 7 4. Chemical quality of water of the Walla Walla River near Touchet, Wash_______________________________ 11 5. Relation of salinity to water discharge, Walla Walla River near Touchet, Wash________________________________ 12 6. Chemical characteristics of water in Willow Creek, Oreg____ 16 7. Chemical characteristics of water in the Umatilla River and Willow Creek, Oreg_________________________ 18 IV CONTENTS Page FIGURE 8. Relation of hardness to water discharge, John Day River at Service Creek, Oreg____________________.-_____________ 21 9. Chemical composition of water in the John Day River basin, Oregon_ ____________________________________________ 22 10. Frequency distribution of dissolved solids, Deschutes RiTTer at Moody, Oreg________________________________ 26 11. Chemical characteristics of water in the Klickitat River basin, Washington________________________________________ 29 12. Relation of salinity to water discharge, McKenzie River at McKenzie Bridge, Oreg.______________________________ 35 13-15. Frequency distribution, Willamette River at Salem, Oreg.: 13. Dissolved solids___________________________ 36 14. Temperature readings_____________________________ 37 15. Hardness________________________________________ 37 16. Annual salt load of the Willamette River at Salem, Ore2;____ 38 17. Comparison of cross-sectional variations in specific con­ ductance in the Willamette River at Portland, Oreg______ 38 18. Cross-sectional variation in specific conductance in the Willamette River at Portland, Oreg_____________________ 39 19. Chemical composition of water in the Willamette River basin, Oregon._____________________________________________ 40 20. Bacterial contamination in the main stem of the Willamette River, Oreg________________________________________ 43 21. Chemical composition of water during periods of different discharge, Lewis River at Ariel, Wash___________________ 45 22. Chemical composition of water in the Cowlitz River basin, Washington___ _____________________________________ 47 23. Dissolved solids transported by the Cowlitz River at Castle Rock, Wash_______________..____________ 49 24. Annual salt load of the Columbia River near The Dalles, Oreg__________________________________ 53 25-27. Frequency distribution, Columbia River near The Dalles, Oreg.: 25. Dissolved solids________________________________ 53 26. Temperature readings_________________-__--_--_-_- 54 27. Hardness________________________________ 54 28. Location of quality-of-water sampling points on the lower Columbia River______________________________________ 55 29. Variation of radioactivity in the Columbia River___________ 60 TABLE Page TABLE 1. Representative chemical analyses of water________________ 66 QUALITY OF SURFACE WATERS IN THE LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN By J. F. SANTOS ABSTRACT This report, made during 1959-60, provides reconnaissance data on the quality of waters in the lower Columbia River basin; information on present and future water problems in the basin; and data that can be employed both in water-use studies and in planning future industrial, municipal, and agricultural expansion within this area. The lower Columbia River basin consists of approximately 46,000 square miles downstream from the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers The region can be divided into three geographic areas. The first is the heavily forested, sparsely populated mountain regions in which quality of water in general is related to geologic and climatological factors. The second is a seiriarid plateau east of the Cascade Mountains; there differences in geology and precipitation, together with more intensive use of available water for irrigation, bring about marked differences in water quality. The third is the Willamette-Puget trough area in which are concentrated most of the industry and population and in which water quality is influenced by sewage and industrial waste disposal. The majority of the streams in the lower Columbia River basin are calcium magnesium bicarbonate waters. In general, the rivers rising in the Coast Range and on the west slope of the Cascade Range contain less than 100 parts per mil­ lion of dissolved solids, and hardness of the water is less than 50 parts per million. Headwater reaches of the streams on the east slope of the Cascade Range are similar to those on the west slope; but, downstream, irrigation return flows cause the dissolved-solids content and hardness to increase. Most of the waters, however, remain calcium magnesium bicarbonate in type. The highest observed dissolved-solids concentrations and also some changes in chemical com­ position occur in the streams draining the more arid parts of the area. In these parts, irrigation is chiefly responsible for increasing the dissolved-solids con­ centration and altering the chemical composition of the streams. C?he maximum dissolved-solids concentration and hardness of water observed in major irriga­ tion areas were 507 and 262 parts per million, respectively, for the Walla Walla River near Touchet, Wash. In terms of the U.S. Salinity Laboratory Staff classification (1954, p. 80), water in most streams in the basin has low salinity and sodium hazards and is suitable for irrigation. A salt-balance problem does exist in the Hermiston- Stanfield, Oreg., area of the Umatilla River basin, and because of poor drainage, improper irrigation practices could cause salt-balance problems in fre Willamette River Valley, Oreg., in which irrigation is rapidly increasing. 2 SURFACE WATERS, LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN Pollution by sewage disposal has reached undesirable levels in the Walla Walla River, in the Willamette River from Eugene to Portland, Oreg., and in the Columbia River from Portland to Puget Island. In the lower reaches of the Willamette River, the pollution load from sewage and industrial-waste disposal at times depletes the dissolved oxygen in the water to concentrations below what is considered necessary for aquatic life. Water in most of the tributaries to the lower Columbia River is of excellent quality and after some treatment could be used for industrial and municipal supplies. The principal treatment required would be disinfection and turbidity removal. INTRODUCTION PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION This investigation, made during 1959-60,