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Portland's Watershed Management
From ridgetop to river
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Environmental Service's watershed management programs evaluate the condition of the city's watersheds (Willamette River, Columbia Slough, Johnson Creek, Tryon Creek,and Fanno Creek) and implement projects to improve their health. Working closely with River Renaissance, the Endangered Species Act Program, other agencies, and citizens' groups, Environmental Services helps protect Portland's natural resources, restore critical ecosystems, and retrofit existing development with innovative technologies to integrate the urban area with the natural environment.
A watershed is the land area drained by a river, stream, or creek. Rain falling in a watershed soaks into the ground or flows downhill and eventually reaches the stream at the bottom. In undeveloped areas watersheds help regulate flow, offer valuable habitat, and make streams run clear and cold. A river's drainage area, like the Willamette Basin , contains many smaller watersheds, and their streams run together to form the river itself.
While many people think watersheds are only protected natural areas, every square foot of land is, in fact, part of a watershed. And the environmental health of watersheds determines the health of the rivers and streams they drain into.
Portland's watersheds are urbanized, covered by the streets, houses, schools, stores, and parks that make up the city. We've built the city over the past 150 years, and in the process we've changed the relationship between the watershed and the river. To protect and restore the health of the Willamette and our other urban streams, we need to improve watershed health.
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