The watershed provides high quality drinking water to approximately 200,000 people. There are four municipal surface water intakes on the river that provide water for households in the towns of Estacada, Gladstone, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Oregon City and West Linn.

The Clackamas River Basin Council works in partnership with water providers to identify actions and areas that are important for maintaining high water quality. Keeping the water quality high reduces costs of drinking water treatment - thus reducing water bills and protecting public health.

Three waterbodies in the Clackamas River Basin are on the DEQ's 303(d) list of water-quality limited streams: the Clackamas River from its mouth to River Mill dam, Eagle Creek from its mouth to the wilderness boundary and Fish Creek. You can learn more about this issue at this DEQ website.

A 303(d) listed stream is one that has violated a "key standard." The key standard most commonly violated in the Clackamas basin is summer water temperature. Temperatures above 64 degrees can foster algal blooms that decrease water quality and impart an unpleasant taste to drinking water. Salmon and steelhead require water that is colder than 55 degrees for spawning, egg incubation and fry emergence.

There are several excellent studies and resources on water quality in the Clackamas. To learn more about algal conditions we recommend this USGS study. Go to this USGS resource link if you want lots of good technical information on streamflow, hydrology and other watershed science.

Pesticides are a growing water quality concern in the lower Clackamas. We are finding residue from home and yard products and other applications in water quality samples. Here is the latest scientific study on pesticides in the lower watershed. To learn about product choices that you can make that will help keep your drinking water clean you may visit this site.

The Clackamas River Basin Council collaborates with willing landowners and citizens to monitor water temperatures, and works with volunteers to plant trees along river and creekside areas in order to shade and cool the water and protect water quality. Contact us if you would like to volunteer to help with this project, or if you live on a creek or mainstem property and would like free native trees for habitat restoration on your property.