Most of the rain that falls in an urban setting lands on impervious surfaces such as streets, parking areas, and residential rooftops. These impervious surfaces result in runoff that is collected and conveyed by a system of catch basins, ditches, and pipes. In most circumstances this system discharges stormwater directly to the nearest stream.
The Continuous Stream Monitoring Program was developed to better understand the effects that stormwater runoff has on streams in Salem’s urban environment. Each monitoring station includes a pressure transducer for stage readings, a multi-parameter datasonde equipped with five different water quality sensors, and automated data acquisition system components. The stations collect data for the following parameters:
- pH
- temperature
- turbidity
- specific conductivity
- dissolved oxygen
- stage height
Data are transmitted to a Network Monitoring System 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. There are presently 11 continuous monitoring stations in Salem; three on Mill Creek, two on Pringle Creek, two on Clark Creek, two on Glenn Creek, and two on Battle Creek.
Provisional data from these stations can be queried.
Salem Stream Levels - High Water Watch. Visit this site for additional stream level information.
Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) measures were adopted fall 2006 to ensure that data collected at the monitoring stations satisfy Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) guidelines.
Additional questions concerning the City of Salem’s Continuous Stream Monitoring Program can be directed to one of the stormwater monitoring analysts at 503-588-6063, ext. 7730 or 7734.