Water Resources Section

The Water Resources Section staff provide education and outreach, regulatory guidance, technical assistance and project management to promote water quality. They are responsible for leading the effort on the Mitigated Wetlands Program and the citywide response to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listings, principally for salmon and steelhead. The group also facilitates issuance of the Public Works Department's regulatory agency permits for environmental compliance in capital projects. The group coordinates with local, state and federal regulatory agencies and serves as department advisors to achieve all of the city's environmental program objectives related to water resources, including drinking water, wastewater, and drainage systems.

Section staff are involved with implementation of many of the early action items set forth by the Stormwater Master Plan, including several related to the requirements of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA). Some of these items include evaluating potential regional detention sites, prioritizing master plan-identified capital improvement projects for revenue bond funding, implementation of continued efforts to prioritize our urban streams and their needs, increasing stream flow and water quality monitoring, and refinement of the stormwater computer model to support capital projects.

Early work has been completed on a riparian area protection program focused on voluntary restoration efforts, and the FY 05/06 budget includes approximately $3 million for riparian restoration projects, fish passage improvements, and access easements to natural waterways. The majority of these funds are budgeted in the Capital Construction section.

Water Resources Programs

• Adopt-a-Stream
• Clark Creek Demonstration Project
• DSL Wetlands and Waterway Work
• Education Program - Source Water Protection
• Educational Programs 
• Flood and High Flow Conditions for Oregon
• Kroger Park Bioswale
• Local Events
• Map of Real-time Streamflow
• Photo Page
• Salem's Native Plants
• Salmon and ESA
• Salem and Willamette Valley Tree Canopy Studies
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Water Conservation
• Watershed Councils
• Wetlands
• Willamette Basin Reservoir Storage Stages