Rock & Richardson Creek
Snapshot Event Monitoring Results
July 28, 2007
A Day in Damascus:
Along with water quality testing on Rock and
Richardson Creeks, Portland State University stu-
dents and the Clackamas River Basin Council held
an educational event at “A Day in Damascus.” At
the event PSU students ran an educational fishing
game that helped children learn the importance of
having clean streams and creeks, and the effect that
dirty creeks have on animals and the environment.
People were also able to view a tank that had a
sample of water and aquatic life from Richardson
Creek.
Invasive Plants:
Alongside Richardson and Rock Creeks a wide vari-
ety of vegetation occurs. Unfortunately some of
these plants are know invaders, including Himala-
yan Blackberry, English Ivy and Japanese Knot-
weed. Himalayan Blackberry can be found at many
sites along rivers and creeks in western Oregon,
including most of the sites along Richardson and
Rock Creeks. In this region it is the most wide-
spread and economically damaging noxious weed.
“Professor Phosphate” demonstrates the activity
PSU students hosted at A Day in Damascus
Significant Findings:
• E. coli was only detected at a few sites, and
only one particular site in upper Rock Creek ex-
ceeded the water quality standard.
• Temperature and dissolved oxygen levels were
within acceptable range at most sites
• Most sites (83%) had blackberries, or another
invasive plant species, present. Trees, which
shade the streams, were also present at many
of the sites (75%).
• Ammonia levels were higher than found in 2005
for both streams
• Relatively low nitrate levels (decreased signifi-
cantly from 2005) were detected
• Phosphorus concentrations were higher than in
2005, nearly double in both streams.
Large populations of Knotweed, English Ivy and
False Brome can also be found along Richardson
and Rock Creeks as well as other riparian and for-
ested areas throughout western Oregon. These
plants also have negative effects on timber produc-
tion, agriculture, and right-of-way maintenance, not
to mention the detrimental effects on the diversity
and integrity of our riparian and forested areas.
Excess Nutrients:
Nitrogen (nitrate and ammonia being the 2 main
forms) and phosphorus are two of the main compo-
nents in fertilizers. The numbers in a fertilizer, such
as 20-20-20, are nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium.
Most plants require 14 times more nitrogen as phos-
phorus, so most fertilizers provide far more phos-
phorus than plants require, relative to nitrogen. The
relative increase in phosphorus and decrease in ni-
trate may be due to algae living in the stream utiliz-
ing most of the nitrate and being unable to use the
phosphorus, as a lack of nitrate limits their ability to
grow. As watersheds become more urbanized, we
often notice this trend of increasing phosphorus.
Rock & Richardson Creek Water Quality Snapshot Results Page 2

Results: Temperature
Water quality data were consolidated based upon whether
sites were located in the upper or lower sections of Rock or
20.0
Richardson Creeks—Hwy 212 was used as the dividing line 18.0
between uppser and lower. The graphs show the results

Temperature (Celsius)
16.0
from six of the tests run on samples—temperature, dis- 14.0
solved oxygen, turbidity, phosphorus, nitrate, and ammonia. 12.0
For each graph the water quality standard or recommended 10.0
level is shown by the straight, dark line. 8.0
6.0 Temperature
4.0 Standard (<17.8)
Temperature directly effects plants, animals, and the physi- 2.0
cal, biological, and chemical characteristics of a stream. 0.0
Lack of shade, water from ponds, and wastewater inputs Upper Ro ck Lo wer Ro ck Upper Lo wer
can increase surface water temperatures. Increased tem- Richardso n Richardso n

perature reduces dissolved oxygen concentration making

the water uninhabitable
for fish and other aquatic Dissolved Oxygen
life. Oregon's water qual-
ity standard for tempera-
10.0
ture in surface water is 9.0
less than 17.8ºC (64ºF). 8.0
Waters above 25ºC 7.0
DO (mg/L)

(77ºF) are lethal to sal- 6.0

monids. 5.0
Data range: 15 4.0
3.0 DO
to 19ºC
2.0
Median value: 1.0
Standard (>8)
16ºC 0.0
Upper Ro ck Lo wer Ro ck Upper Lo wer
Dissolved oxygen is Richardso n Richardso n

required for the growth

and development of aquatic life. Algal blooms, high temperatures,
and decomposition of organic matter can cause dissolved oxygen
to drop to harmful levels. Dissolved oxygen should be higher than
8 mg/L, but spawning salmon require at least 11 mg/L.
Data range: 4.8 to 9.9 mg/L
Median value: 8.3 mg/L

Turbidity is a measure of how cloudy water is. Highly turbid water

can degrade streambed
habitat for aquatic life, Turbidity
such as fish. Turbidity
varies heavily among 14.0
streams, with erosion, 12.0
and algae being the pri- Turbidity
Turbidity (NTU)

10.0
mary contributors to in- Recommended (<5)
creased turbidity. 8.0
Data range: 1.8 6.0
to 26.8 NTU 4.0
Median value:
2.0
4.9 NTU
0.0
Upper Ro ck Lo wer Ro ck Upper Lo wer
Richardso n Richardso n
Rock & Richardson Creek Water Quality Snapshot Results Page 3

Phosphorus is an element that is required by all living

Phosphorus
things. Excess phosphorus in freshwater promotes rapid
growth of algae which can lower dissolved oxygen levels.
0.20
Phosphorus sources include detergent, fertilizers, industrial
0.18
waste, pesticides, and the decomposition of organic matter.
Phosphorus (mg/L P)

0.16
0.14 The EPA recommends less than 0.10 mg/L P for lakes and
0.12 streams.
0.10 Data range: 0.07 to 0.23 mg/L P
0.08 Phosphorus Median value: 0.12 mg/L P
0.06
0.04 Recommended Nitrate is the most common form of nitrogen found in
0.02 (<0.10)
streams. Excess nitrate in streams can cause algal blooms
0.00
Upper Ro ck Lo wer Ro ck Upper Lo wer
and be detrimental to aquatic life. The surface water stan-
Richardso n Richardso n dard for nitrate is 10 mg/L N.
Data range: 0.03 to 6.33 mg/L N
Median value 0.08 mg/L
N
Nitrate

Ammonia is a form of ni-

3.5
trogen which is usually
3.0 transformed into nitrate
when oxygen is present.
Nitrate (mg/L N)

2.5
Ammonia can reduce oxy-
2.0
gen levels and, at high
1.5 Nitrate concentrations, be toxic to
1.0 Standard (<10) aquatic life. Common am-
0.5 monia sources are sewage
and decomposing organic
0.0
Upper Ro ck Lo wer Ro ck Upper Lo wer
matter. While there are no
Richardso n Richardso n Oregon
standards for ammonia,
the optimal concentration in surface water is less than 0.03 mg/L N.
Data Range: <0.01 to 0.15 mg/L N
Median value: 0.07 mg/L N

Certain bacteria, such as coliforms, can be good indicators of con-

tamination containing pathogens that pose a health risk to humans
and aquatic life. E. coli is
Ammonia a specific species of fecal
coliform bacteria that is a
0.09 good indicator of human
0.08 contamination because it
0.07 only lives in the intestines
Ammonia (mg/L N)

0.06 of warm-blooded organ-

0.05 isms. The surface water
0.04 standard is <426
0.03
Ammonia CFU/100 mL (colony
0.02 Recommended
forming units per 100 mil-
0.01 (<0.05) liliters of water).
0.00
Data range: 0 to 960
Upper Ro ck Lo wer Ro ck Upper Lo wer CFU/100 mL
Richardso n Richardso n Median value: 190
CFU/100 mL
Student Watershed Research Project
Environmental Sciences & Resources
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207
What’s Inside:
Results from the
Rock & Richardson
Creek Watershed
Monitoring Event
Rock & Richardson Creek Water Quality Snapshot Results
On Saturday, July 28th, 2007 the Clackamas
River Basin Council (CRBC) and Portland State
University’s Student Watershed Research Pro-
ject (SWRP) conducted a Snapshot Water
Quality Monitoring Event. Streamside residents
in the Rock and Richardson Creek Watersheds,
as well as students from SWRP, collected water
samples to be tested for E. coli, ammonia, ni-
trate, phosphorus, turbidity, temperature and
dissolved oxygen.
Purpose of event:
• Assess watershed health,
• Provide educational resources on how to
improve water quality,
• Educate children on the importance of keep-
ing a healthy watershed.
What we did:
Tested 12 water samples and compared our
findings to the 2005 Snapshot Watershed Event
and with the water quality standards estab-
lished by the DEQ.
Page 4
Why a healthy watershed is important:
• Rock and Richardson Creeks flow into the
Clackamas River, upstream of your drinking
water intake.
• You save money on your water bill when
less drinking water treatment is needed.
• Salmon spawn and rear in the lower por-
tions of the creeks and will continue to do so
if water quality is preserved.
Easy steps to help maintain a healthy water-
shed:
• Keep septic tanks maintained,
• Remove invasive plants, such as Japanese
knotweed, and plant native plants along side
the creeks to keep shaded and cool,
• Don’t put yard debris, garbage or chemicals
in or around the creeks,
• Reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals,
pesticides, weed-killers and fertilizers. In-
stead, use compost or mulch to fertilize.
For more helpful hints and information please
visit our website: www.clackamasriver.org