Report On
POLLUTION OF INTERSTATE WATERS
OF THE
LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER
BONNEVILLE DAM TO CATHLAMET, WASHINGTON
U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
Public Health Service
August 1958
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FOREWORD
This report reviews the facts of pollution of the interstate
waters of the lower Columbia River between Bonneville Dam and Cathlamet,
Washington.
Information on which the report is based was assembled from
existing reports and files, through discussions with agencies having
responsibilities for and intimate knowledge of various facets of the
situation, and by personal observations of important features Involved.
The following agencies contributed portions of the assembled
material:
State of Oregon
Sanitary Authority
Board of Health
Fish Commission
Game Commission
Park Commission
State of Washington
Pollution Control Commission
Department of Public Health
Department of Fisheries
Department of Game
Department of Parks and Recreation
University of Washington
City of Portland
Sewage Disposal Plant
City of Vancouver
Sewage Treatment Plant
Fisheries Organizations
Columbia River Packers Association
Columbia River Fishermen's Protective
Association
Industries
Crown Zellerbach Corporation
Weyerhaeuser Timber Company
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United States
Corps of Engineers, Portland Division
Fish and Wildlife Service
Geological Survey
Coast Guard
Public Health Service, Portland Office
Especial acknowledgment is due the Oregon Sanitary Authority and
Board of Health and the Washington Pollution Control Commission and
Department of Public Health for their cordial cooperation in providing
much of the basic data used in this report and in supplying additional
valuable information based on their intimate knowledge of the local
situation. Of the other agencies the Corps of Engineers, in particular,
furnished a great deal of useful background information.
Responsibility for assembling and interpretation of data and
preparation of the report was assigned to F. W. Kittrell, In Charge,
Stream Sanitation Studies, Robert A. Taft Sanitary Engineering Center,
U. S. Public Health Service.
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REPORT ON
POLLUTION OF INTERSTATE WATERS
OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER
BONNEVILLE DAM TO CATHLAMET, WASHINGTON
BACKGROUND
The Columbia is the second largest river in our Country. It
rises in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, crosses into the
United States near Boundary, Washington, and flows in a generally
southerly direction across the State of Washington to State Line, Oregon,
where it becomes the boundary between Oregon and Washington as it flows
toward the west to Join the Pacific Ocean.
As the Columbia flows over 1,200 mi3.es through its 259,000 square
mile drainage area it accumulates enough water to discharge an average
annual flow of nearly 200,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) at its mouth.
The section of the lower Columbia River with which this report
deals, from Bonneville Dam to Cathlamet, Washington, has many important
uses. The uses of the river are in keeping with its size. It is used,
to a greater or a lesser degree, for nearly every purpose that a river
can serve. It serves as the source of domestic and industrial water
supplies. It is a beautiful river with high scenic value, especially
in the Columbia River Gorge below Bonneville Dam. At Bonneville the
river produces power. Its cool, clear waters are attractive to boating
enthusiasts, swimmers, and water skiiers. Some trappers take fur
bearing animals from its waters as a profitable hobby and many hunters
shoot ducks on and in the vicinity of the river. Its tremendous runs
of salmon and other anadromous fishes provide Income for commercial
fishermen and recreation for sport fishermen. Adult fishes use the
Columbia In traveling upstream to spawn In tributary streams and
ringerlings use it in traveling to the sea. Many ships and smaller
craft, from ocean-going liners and naval vessels to small outboard
motor and sail boats, ply its waters. Large log rafts are both trans-
Ported and stored on its surface, from which they are withdrawn to
feed the numerous, large wood products industries in the area. A few
farms are irrigated with water pumped from the river. These are
Principally vegetable produce farms. Shellfish are taken from the
brackish water at Its mouth. Finally, the Columbia receives and carries
away the sewage and industrial wastes from the municipalities and in-
dustries along its banks.
As is inevitable when a single stream is used by many for a
variety of purposes there are conflicting interests and needs among the
users. This report deals with the area of conflict where lnfc<*rebeefce
pollution affects water uses.
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THE AREA
The section of the lower Columbia River from Bonneville Dam to
Cathlamet, Washington, with which this report is concerned, is shown
in Figure I (Appendix). This 10U mile reach is more highly developed
than any other comparable length of the main river.
Along its banks live nearly a half million people, of whom about
three-fourths live in the one city of Portland, Oregon. The other
principal cities are Vancouver and Longview, Washington, with popula-
tions of about U2,000 and 20,000, respectively. These three are the
largest cities on the main river. There are totals of 12 sewered
communities and 9 small miscellaneous sewerage systems. Several small
towns are without sewerage.
Varied types of manufacturing contribute toward a balanced economy
for the region. Power produced from the river has brought many electro-
metallurgical plants to the area. There are numerous food processing
plants. Wood products plants as a group constitute the major manufac-
turing industry. Of these the pulp and paper mills are a principal
factor in pollution of the river.
Income from fishing is important in the area's economy. The
Columbia is Justly famed for its salmon and steelhead trout. In fact
these two species of fish are so plentiful that most commercial and
sport fishermen look with disdain on all other kinds of fish, even
those which are highly prized in other less favored sections of the
Country;
Excellent water transportation contributes to the prosperity of
the area. Although Portland is over 100 miles from the ocean the
Columbia makes it one of the important ports of the Pacific Coast.
This section of the Columbia is subject to tidal action as far
upstream as Bonneville Dam. The tidal range at Portland is small, not
exceeding one foot.
WATER USES
The lower Columbia, as noted earlier, is used for almost every
purpose that a stream can serve*
The following descriptions include examples of quantities and
values of the uses. These examples are not intended to be all-inclusive.
They do, however, serve a useful purpose in helping to place the
relative Importance of the uses in proper perspective.
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Domestic Water Supply
The lower river is used as the source of two domestic water
supplies. One at Clifton, Oregon, serving only about 12 homes, is so
small that it does not come under the jurisdiction of the Oregon State
Board of Health. Clifton is several miles downstream from Puget Island.
Although it is not within the section of the river dealt with in this
report, its source of water supply is subjected to bacterial contamina-
tion by sewage from the towns covered by the report.
At Longview, Washington, the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company domestic
and industrial water supply comes from the Columbia. The domestic water
for this plant's 1,000 employees is part of the 85 million gallons per
day (mgd) pumped from the river and treated for industrial as well as
domestic use by the Pulp Division of Weyerhaeuser. The water treatment
provided is the conventional chemical coagulation, sedimentation, and
rapid sand filtration, preceded and followed by chlorination. Chlorina-
tion is carried to a free chlorine residual.
Industrial Water Supplies
The other maJor industrial user of water from the lower Columbia,
in addition to the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company, is the Longview Fiber
Company pulp and paper mill at Vancouver, Washington. This plant uses
about 35 mgd.
Other known industrial water supplies taken from the Columbia are
quite small.
Recreation
There are many recreational uses of this section of the Columbia
River. Some of the uses are reasonably well organized and subject to
some type of control, but others are pursued on an unorganized and in-
formal basis, and frequently by lone individuals. This makes it difficult
to delineate some of the uses and to evaluate their importance fully.
Sport Fishing
One of the outstanding uses of the river is sport fishing. The
salmon and steelhead trout of the Columbia are highly prized by anglers.
The experienced fisherman on -fahe Columbia ae«ks cerfco.1 n types of
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locations for his sport. He has learned by experience that the migrating
fish pass close to sand Tsars of a particular configuration with the river
current passing in a certain pattern. He claims to know, vithin a very
few feet, where his lure should be placed for best results. At such
spots the sport fishermen stand almost elbow to elbow when the fish are
running. Others travel to selected spots by boat. It is estimated that
there are at least 25 such spots along the river below the Portland-
Vancouver area.
The Washington Department of Fisheries and the Oregon State Game
Commission have cooperated in counts of sport fishermen and creel
censuses. They estimated that during July 15 through September 2, 1957,
13,000 boat trips and 1*9,000 fishing trips were made by anglers. The
catch consisted of 19.000 chinook, 35,000 silver, and ISO humpback salmon
for a total of over 54,000 salmon. Estimates of the money spent on this
recreation are not exact, but range from, a minimum of $1,350,000 to as
high as $2,100,000, The latter figure is based on the estimate that
the 700,000 pounds of fish taken cost the anglers an average of $3.00
per pound.
Estimates on steelhead trout catches are not so complete as for
salmon. A creel census by the Oregon State Game Commission for a recent
summer season of June through the middle of September at one favorite
fishing spot Indicated that about 2,600 steelhead were taken there during
that period. There are 25 to 30 similar areas on the lower river, which
indicates that the total catch may have been somewhere near 75,000.
The cost to the angler is estimated to be $*t.50 per pound for steelhead,
compared to $3.00 per pound for salmon.
Pleasure Boating
There are numerous boat moorages on the lower Columbia River. A
major concentration of moorages extends along the i^agoa bank from near
the upper end of Government Island to below Interaa%^^i. Bridge. Three
other main river moorages on the Oregon side are at Jantzen Beach Park
on Hayden Island, at St. Helens, and just below the Longview Bridge. On
the Washington side there are moorages just above Camas, at Vancouver,
near the mouth of Lewis River across from St. Helens, and downstream
from Longview.
The U. S. Coast Guard licenses boats of 16 feet or longer. There
are about 2,500 such licensed boats on the lower Columbia; A represent-
ative of the Coast Guard has estimated there are about four times this
number, or 10,000, unlicensed smaller craft on the river.
Some of these 12,500 craft are commercial, but the pleasure boats
constitute the majority.
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Swimming
Much of the swimming and water skiing in the lower Columbia is
above the Portland and Vancouver area in the vicinity of the boat moor-
ages which extend upstream to Government Island, and in the vicinity of
Jantzen Beach on Hayden Island above the Interstate Bridge. There is
swimming and water skiing below the Portland-Vancouver area, however.
Reeder Beach on Sauvie Island, about 8 miles below the Portland sewage
plant outfall, is a popular center of water recreation* There is other,
though less organized, use of the river for swimming and water skiing
on downstream to Cathlamet. Two bathers were observed recently on the
river side of Hayden Island below and within about 1,000 feet of the
point where Portland's sewage discharges* These bathers undoubtedly
were typical of many persons who swim alone or in small groups on an
unorganized basis throughout the section of the main river between the
Portland-Vancouver area and Cathlamet.
Hunting
The lower Columbia is popular with duck hunters, who use boats
for traveling to and from their shooting grounds. Downed birds are
retrieved from the water. The lower end of Sauvie Island is especially
popular for this sport.
Complete data defining this use of the Columbia are not available.
It is estimated by the Washington Department of Game that over 100,000
ducks were killed in the four Washington counties bordering the lower
Columbia during the 1956-1957 season. It is probable that not more than
one-half of these were killed on the Columbia. Kills average a little
better than nine ducks per hunter per season. If it be assumed that
duck hunting was about the same on the Oregon side it is indicated that
something like 10,000 duck hunters used the lower Columbia. It is
estimated that the average waterfowl hunter spends about |4l,00 per
season. This indicates a total expenditure of more than 4^00,000 per
year for duck hunting on the lower Columbia River.
Trapping
There is a limited amount of trapping on the lower Columbia. About
7,500 muskrat pelts were taken in the four Washington counties bordering
this section of the river during the 1956-1957 season. Adjustment of
these data on the same basis as was used in estimating total duck hunters
indicates that more than $8,500 worth of muskrat pelts were taken from
the lower Columbia by Washington and Oregon trappers.
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Trapping for income may not appear to be recreation. The small
cash income from this source on the Columbia indicates that those who
trap do so as a hobby rather than as a profession. In this case it is
thought proper to classify it as a form of recreation.
Navigation
More than 60 percent of all navigation on the entire Columbia River
during 1956 was limited to the lower river, from the Portland-Vancouver
area to the mouth. During that year nearly 22,400,000 tons of cargo was
hauled between those two points. This was equivalent to nearly 1.5
billion ton miles of haulage.
Large numbers of log rafts are transported on the river for the
lumber and pulp and paper plants in the area. The logs, while awaiting
use, are stored in quiet areas along the river banks and in sloughs on
either side of the river. Most of the storage areas are between Camas
and Cathlamet, Washington, with only a limited amount of storage between
Camas and Bonneville Dam.
Irrigation
Although irrigation is a major use of the upper reaches of the
river there is only a small amount of irrigation along the lower Columbia*
Water is pumped from the river for this purpose at possibly 25 or 30
points between Bonneville Dam and Cathlamet. The ^water is used prin-
cipally to irrigate vegetable produce. As one example, on Sauvie Island,
celery, strawberry, and bean crops are irrigated with water taken from
the river.
Power Production
The power plant at Bonneville is equipped with 10 Kaplan turbine-
generator units with a total rated capacity of approximately 518, hQO
kilowatts at 0.9 power factor. This plant produces an important portion
of the total power produced in the Columbia River Basin.
A navigation lock at the dam provides a minimum 27 foot depth
through which large vessels may pass upstream to the Dallas and small
craft, such as barges, may continue on to Lewiston, Idaho, on the Snake
River.
Pish ladders on both the Oregon and Washington sides of the river
allow migrating fish to mount the dam into Bonneville Pool and pass on
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upstream to their spawning grounds. Counts of the migrating fish have
shown mean numbers ranging from a little less than 2,000 to a little
more than 10,000 per day since 1938, when the dam was completed.
Bonneville Dam is the control point for flow of the river down-
stream through the section of the Columbia River with which this report
deals. The Bonneville Pool provides little storage, and has relatively
little effect on average daily flow of the river. It can control the
hourly flow, especially during periods of low flow. When flows drop
"below 135,000 cfs the power generators are operated on a peaking schedule.
The result is that flow below Bonneville Dam is greater than the daily
average when the generators are in full operation, and lower than the
daily average when they are cut back. An example of the effect of this
type of operation is shown by a chart provided by the Portland District
Office of the U. S. Corps of Engineers. This chart shows- discharges
below Bonneville Dam for selected times during the period January 20
through February 15, 19^9. On 23 of the 27 days involved flows below
Bonneville were as low as ^2,000 cfs, or lower, for several hours of each
day. One recorded flow was as low as 22,000 cfs, and on 8 days flows
below 30,000 cfs were recorded. The lower flows usually lasted from 7
to 9 hours each day. Possible implications of this are discussed in the
subsequent section on commercial fishing.
Commercial Fishing
The over-all Columbia River fishery is extremely valuable to the
area. In recent years it has been estimated to yield a return of
$20,000,000 annually. A capital investment of $500,000,000 at h- percent
interest would be required to provide this annual income.
Not all of this Income, of course, accrues to the lower Columbia
River area, but an important fraction of it does. Most of the commercial
fishermen employ gill nets. In 1957 about 800 gill net licenses were
Issued to Columbia River fishermen in Washington and Oregon. The average
Income for the commercial fisherman is about $5,000 per year. The total
income for the group is estimated to have been about $^,000,000. The
value of the processed fish is estimated to be approximately twice the
price paid to the fishermen, or about $8,000,000 in 1957.
In 1957 the value of nearly 6,380,000 pounds of canned salmon and
steelhead from the Columbia was reported to be $5,500,000. In addition
2,800,000 pounds of salmon and steelhead from the Columbia were processed
as frozen fish. At an average of $0.85 per pound the value of the
frozen fish would have been $2,^00,000. This gives a total processed
fish value of $7,900,000 in 1957. This is in good agreement with the
preceding estimate of $8,000,000 based on income to commercial fishermen.
Returns from various phases of the fishing industry constitute
the principal source of income for the 12,000 population of Astoria,
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Oregon, which is the center of the lower Columbia River fishery. Some
of the town's income is derived from the ocean fishery, as well as that
of the Columbia.
The average commercial fisherman in this area is estimated to
have about $3,500 invested in boat, gear, and other equipment. The 800
gill netters thus would have an investment of about $2,800,000. In
addition, the fishermen employ divers to remove snags from the river
bottom in the drifts where they use gill nets. It is estimated that
this operation cost about $85.00 per drift in 195?. For the 78 drifts
between Bonneville Dam and Cathlamet the total annual cost on this basis
was about $6,600.
The value placed on the Columbia River fisheries by responsible
governmental agencies is shown by the money spent by these agencies to
protect this resource. It is estimated that the States of Washington
and Oregon and the Federal Government have spent nearly $50,000,000 in
the past 10 years for fishery protective measures.
SOURCES OF WASTES
Most of the wastes contributing to pollution of the lower Columbia
River originates in communities and industries situated on or near the
banks of the river between Camas and Cathlamet, Washington. The quality
of water reaching Bonneville Dam is excellent, and available information
indicates that most of the tributaries carry relatively little pollution
at their confluences with the Columbia.
Samples are collected and analyzed weekly at Bonneville Dam in
connection with the Public Health Service National Water Quality Basic
Data Program. Twenty-four samples examined for coliform organisms since
January 1958 yielded an average MPN of 51 per 100 milliliters of water.
The maximum single MPN reported was 220 per 100 ml. The 5-day biochemical
oxygen demand has averaged 1.1*4- ppm, and dissolved oxygen saturation has
been between 92.9 and 115 percent. These data indicate that the sanitary
quality of the river water at Bonneville is good and that pollution from
upstream does not contribute significantly to pollution of the lower
Columbia.
With the exception of the Willamette River the streams tributary
to the lower Columbia receive only relatively minor quantities of wastes
and are not believed to exert any appreciable effect on the main river.
The Willamette River above Portland receives large quantities of wastes.
This report is not dealing with water quality in intrastate waters of
the Willamette itself, but the Willamette at its mouth is recognized as
a potential source of pollution affecting the interstate waters of the
Columbia River. Available data on coliform organisms indicate that the
Willamette probably does not contribute important bacterial contamination
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to the Columbia. Data are not available for this report which will permit
evaluation of the role of the Willamette in daily contributions to the
Columbia of either nutrients that will support slime growths or of float-
ing slimes which drift into the main river. There is some evidence that
freshets on the Willamette intermittently, and for short periods, flush
floating slimes into the Columbia. No definite conclusion regarding the
quantitative importance of the Willamette River in the over-all pollution
problem of the Columbia River is possible at this time*
The two types of wastes, from sources along the river, causing
stream pollution which interferes with water uses in the lower Columbia
River are sewage and industrial wastes. The sewage carries pathogenic
bacteria into the river, with resultant health hazards to those who have
contact with the water. Both sewage and industrial wastes contain certain
organic compounds which support excessive growth of non-pathogenic
bacterial growths, or slimes (Sphaerotilus), in the river, which interfere
with fishing.
Sources of Bacterial Contamination
Most of the domestic sewage from towns and industrial plants along
the lower river receives a m^li""?" of primary treatment. On the Washington
side most of the sewage is chlorinated in addition. Little of the sewage
on the Oregon side is chlorinated. Figure I (Appendix) shows the known
sources of sewage in the area and the types of treatment provided.
A common unit for expressing the strength of sewage is the popula-
tion equivalent (P.E.) based on oxygen demand. While this unit serves
as a basis for comparing the relative oxygen depleting characteristics
of organic wastes, it does not provide a basis for comparing the bacterial
content of sewage from various sources. Expression of the strength of
sewage in bacterial population equivalents (B.P.E.) is more useful than
oxygen demand population equivalent in evaluating the relative responsi-
bilities of the several sources of sewage for bacterial contamination
of the river.
Little actual data are available on the bacterial contents of the
sewage effluents from the sources shown in Figure I (Appendix). It is
assumed that the B.P.E. of raw sewage is the same as the sewered popula-
tion. Where primary treatment is provided the B.P.E. of the treated
sewage effluent is assumed to be 50 per cent of the sewered population.
The B.P.E. of chlorinated effluent from a primary or intermediate plant,
and of effluent from a secondary plant is assumed to be 10 per cent of
the sewered population. The 10 per cent value may be considered high
for some of the plants which chlorinate since it is possible to kill 99
per cent or more of the bacteria in sewage if facilities for chlorination
are well designed and operated. In the case of Vancouver, the largest
source of sewage on the Washington side, the chlorine is introduced into
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the outfall line from the plant with no special facility for mixing, and
the only contact time is the 6 to 8 minutes the sewage is in the outfall
line before it reaches the river. These facilities do not meet good
design requirements for chlorination, and efficiency of disinfection may
be expected to be relatively poor. On the basis of this and other informa-
tion on chlorination practices in this area the assumed 90 per cent kill
of sewage bacteria for the treatment plants having chlorination is believed
to be reasonable.
On the basis of the above considerations the estimated B.P.E.'s of
sewage from the various sources, shown in Table I (Appendix), have been
computed. Salient features of this detailed tabulation are summarized in
Table 1.
Table 1
Summary of Bacterial Population Equivalents
of Sewage Discharged to Lower Columbia River
Source
Bacterial Population Equivalent
NumberPer Cent of Total
Portland
St. Helens
Six Other Sources
Total Oregon
Washington
Vancouver
Longview
Twelve Other Sources
Total Washington
Total All Sources
140,000
k, 500
2.230
1^6,730
4,760
9,600
156,330
93.8?
This table indicates that nearly 94 per cent of the bacterial con-
tamination is discharged from the Oregon side, and only a little more than
6 per cent from the Washington side. Portland alone contributes an
estimated 89.6 per cent of the total. Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver,
Washington, contribute a combined 92.6 per cent of the total to the river.
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The other 18 sources contribute only 7.^ per cent of the total. These
other sources are rather widely dispersed through the 100 mile section
of river involved.
The combined effect of sewage treatment "by all Washington commu-
nities is to reduce coliform organisms by an estimated 88.5 per cent. The
comparable over-all reduction for Oregon communities is only 50.1 per
cent.
The bacterial content of all sewage discharged to the river is
estimated to be equivalent to that of the raw sewage from about 155*000
persons.
Sources of Orgnaic Wastes
The industrial wastes discharged to the lower Columbia River may
be divided into two broad groups, depending on the absence or presence of
organic compounds in the wastes.
The industries producing wastes which contain little or no organic
compounds are typified by the electrochemical and metallic products
plants. No evidence associating these wastes with adverse effects of
interstate pollution was obtained while assembling material for this re-
port. The 10 plants of this group in the area will not receive further
consideration at this time.
In addition to the organic matter in sewage from towns in the
area, there are SO industrial plants discharging wastes containing organic
matter directly to the Columbia. Most of these are pulp and paper mills
and food processing plants. It is customary practice to express the
relative strengths of organic wastes in terms of biochemical oxygen
demand* The unit in which the strengths are expressed is termed the
population equivalent (P.E.). The P.E. for a given waste is the number
of persons that would be required to produce sewage having the same 5-
day biochemical oxygen demand as that of the organic waste.
Information is available to permit computations or estimates of
P.E.1a for 17 of the 20 plants which discharge organic wastes. If in-
formation were available from the other three plants it is not believed
that either the over-all figures or subsequent conclusions would be
changed materiality.
Figure II (Appendix) shows plant locations and Table II (Appendix)
gives details of available information on P.E.'s of sewage and organic
industrial wastes discharged to the river. Salient features of these
data are summarized in Table 2.
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Table 2
Summary of Oxygen Demand Population Equivalents
of Sevage and Industrial Wastes Discharged
to Lower Columbia River
Oxygen Demand Population Equivalents
Source Number Per Cent of Total
Portland Sewage 218,000 6.78
Kaiser Gypsum Company, Inc. 100,000 3»H
Crown Zellerbach Corporation 150,000 ^.66
Twelve Other Sources 31,670 O.J
Total Oregon ^99,870 15.52
Washington
Vancouver Sewage
Longview Fiber Company
Weyerhaeuser Timber Company
Columbia River Paper Mill
Crown Zellerbach Corporation
California Packing Company
Washington Canners Corporation
Twenty Other Sources
Total Washington
Total All Sources
29,150
216,000
1*07,000
U31,000
1,500,000
76,000
20,500
35,lto
2,71^,790
3,21^,660
0.90
6.72
12.66
13.^0
U6.65
2.36
O.ft
1.15
QkM
100.0
This table indicates that 8^.5 per cent of the total organic
wastes are discharged from the Washington side of the Columbia, and 15.5
per cent from the Oregon side. In Table II (Appendix) it is shown that
all sewage from both states accounted for only 9.0 per cent of the total
organic wastes, compared to 91*0 per cent for the industrial wastes. Of
the total, the six pulp and paper mills accounted for 87.2 per cent,
leaving 12.8 per cent attributable to all other sources. One pulp and
paper mill, Crown Zellerbach Corporation at Camas, Washington, accounted
for l<-6.7 per cent of the total. This one mill produced 53.6 per cent of
the total P. E. of all the pulp and paper mills.
The above data are for sources of wastes on or adjacent to the
river and do not include one significant waste that is discharged to the
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Columbia. The Publishers Paper Company at Oregon City, Oregon, on the
Willamette River, targes sulfite waste liquor to the Columbia River
during periods of low flow in the Willamette River, which usually occur
in the months of July through October. This waste, consisting of about
330,000 gallons per day of sulfite waste liquor, is pumped from the
barges into the Columbia below the mouth of the Willamette. This waste
adds about UOO,000 P.E. to the total of 3,2lU,700 from all sources
situated along the Columbia. It was not included in the previous data
because of its unusual method of entering the river. It is discharged
in a few hours time each day during the limited period of the year when
this unusual means of disposal is practiced. It adds to the pollution
problem in the Columbia, and will be considered in the discussion of
effects of pollution.
EFFECTS OF POLLUTION
Two major results of pollution account for the principal inter-
ferences with water uses that are attributable to pollution. Both results
of pollution involve bacteria. One result is the health hazard caused
by use of water contaminated with pathogenic bacteria and other micro-
organisms carried into the river by sewage. The other result is the
interference with fishing by non-pathogenic bacterial slimes nourished
by the organic wastes.
Health Hazards
The Pollution Control Council, Pacific Northwest Area, has
established objectives of water quality for protection of the health of
water uses in this area. The Council includes representatives of water
pollution control and public health agencies of British Columbia, Alaska,
Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, and of the Canadian Department
of National Health and Welfare, and the U. S. Public Health Service.
Water Quality Objectives
The following objectives recommended by the Council are applicable
to bacterial quality in the lower Columbia River:
!• Source of Domestic Water Supply With
Conventional Treatment
The most probable number (MPN) of coliform organisms,
when associated with domestic sewage, of a representative
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number of samples should average less than 2,000 per 100
milliliters (ml.)* an<3 should not exceed this number In
more than 20 per cent of samples examined in any month.
2. Water Used for Boating and Fishing
The MPN of coliform organisms, when associated with
domestic sewage, of a representative number of samples
should average less than 1,000 per 100 ml., and should not
exceed this number in more than 20 per cent of the samples
examined.
3» Water for Swimming
The MPN of coliform organisms, when associated with
domestic sewage, of a representative number of samples
should average less than 2^0 per 100 ml., and should not
exceed this number in more than 20 per cent of the samples
examined.
U. Minimum Treatment Requirements
for Domestic Sewage
The minimum treatment required for domestic sewage
discharged into waters used for water supply for drinking,
and for bathing, swimming and recreation is sedimentation
and effective disinfection. •
Bacterial Water Quality
Records of bacterial quality of water in the lower Columbia River
are available from numerous sources extending back at least to 19^0.
Those previous to 1953> however, are not representative of present river
conditions. Progress in sewage treatment in this area has been excellent
since 1950. In 1952 the City of Portland provided primary treatment, but
not chlorination, with the treated sewage discharged across Hayden Island
to a point in the Columbia about 1,000 feet below the S. P. and S. R. R.
Bridge (Mile 105.2). Portland sewage accounts for 89,6 per cent of the
total B.F.E. discharged to the lower Columbia. This source dominates
the pattern of bacterial contamination in the river. Thus, only data
on bacterial quality obtained since 1952, after the Portland sewage
plant started operation, are applicable to present conditions.
Employees of the Portland Sewage Treatment Plant sample the river
at one station above and three stations below the point where the sewage
is discharged. The sampling station farthest downstream (Mile 100.0) is
about 5 miles below the point of sewage discharge (Mile 105.2). At each
station samples are collected near each bank of the river and in the
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- 15 -
middle to indicate conditions across the entire river. The voluminous
data for the years 1953 through 1957 have been made available for this
report through the courtesy of the Superintendent of the sewage plant.
Analysis of the data, on a monthly basis, indicates that bacterial
contamination generally is highest in the months of August through
November. Figure 1 shows the monthly median coliform MPN values at the
sampling station (Mile 103.8) immediately below the Portland-Vancouver
area. The high values for the August-November period are obvious on
this chart. It should be noted, however, that the water quality objec-
tives for swimming and for boating and fishing were not met at this
point in any month of the year.
Two factors apparently contribute to the high contamination dur-
ing this period. Stream flows generally are low and dilution of the
sewage is at a minimum. In addition, water temperatures are not so low
as they are during the months of December through March when flows
normally are low. It has been found at other cities, and is reconfirmed
here, that a source of sewage adds only one-fourth to one-third as much
bacterial contamination to a stream in winter as it does in summer.
The data indicate that bacterial contamination of the Columbia
generally may be expected to be highest when stream flow is in the range
of 80,000 to 130,000 cfs and water temperature is above 10° C.
Unfortunately the data available since 1952 do not provide a
basis for factual evaluation of bacterial quality downstream from Mile
100.0, which is near the upper end of Sauvie Island, to Cathlamet. It
is possible, however, to arrive at reasonable estimates based on: the
data for the river in the vicinity of the Portland-Vancouver area;
sample results of other Columbia River studies; knowledge of downstream
sources of sewage; and experience with other contaminated streams.
The colif orm organism curve in Figure 2 has been prepared on the
above basis. The median coliform data from the Portland sewage plant
for the August through November periods of 1953 through 1956 were
Plotted as observed points. Below the farthest downstream station at
which the observed data are available (Mile 100.0) the probable coliform
content of the river has been estimated on the basis of the coliform
death rate curve found in another river contaminated with essentially
the same concentration of coliform organisms as that observed at Mile
100,0. The curve was adjusted at the St.. Helens and the Longview-Kelso-
Ranier areas for the computed bacteria added to the river by those areas.
Although the major portion of the curve is theoretical, its
general acceptability is supported by data in the Washington Pollution
Control Commission 1951 report, "An Investigation of Pollution of the
Lower Columbia River" (Technical Bulletin No. 12). A coliform death
rate curve developed from data in that report exhibits a slope which is
-------
o
o
a:
Ld
a.
o.
5
I
CO
<
o
(T
O
(T
O
u.
o
o
45,000
40,000
35,OOO
30,000
20,000
15.0OO
10,000
5,000
1,000
o-
FIGURE —I
COLUMBIA RIVER
COLIFORM ORGANISM
CONTENT
MONTHLY MEDIAN VALUES BELOW
PORTLAND—VANCOUVER AREA
(POWER LINE CROSSING—MtLE 103-8)
1953 —1957
WATER QUALITY OBJECTIVE—BOATING AND FISHING^
JAN.
FEB. MAR.
APR. MAY. JUNE
JULY
AUG.
SEPT. OCT.
NOV.
DEC-
MO N T H
-------
1 V'Vf./U
^ - -r ....... -T. - p
UJ
1 COL
1? I COLI
< g ^
i t
FIGURE 2
UMBIA RIVER
FORM ORGANISM
CONTENT
£z o * AUGUST-NOVEMBER
£2 o ^ eg 1953-1956
_j
o
o
topoc
cr
UJ
Q.
2
Q.
1
CO
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2 OOC
2
CD <
o 'P0'
ft:
o t
-"•!»•
^m § -u LEGEND
ft: g Ss 0 0 OBSERVED DATA
Q I 1 *~ X .X COMPUTED VALUES
UJ ' O a:
1.1 t/i in . .
UJ _ i UJ
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V , uj uJ -,
^ N s T|
x\ to 5 ^ uj
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- 16 -
reasonably similar to that of the theoretical portion of the curve in
Figure 1. While the theoretical portion of the curve is not quantita-
tively exact there is reason to believe that it indicates contamination
that is lower rather than higher than that which actually occurs.
The curve in Figure 2 does not present the worst probable bacterial
contamination of the lower Columbia. The average stream flow on which it
is based was 130,000 cfs. Monthly average flows as low as 80,000 cfs are
not uncommon during the August through November period. During such
months the coliform content should be roughly 50 per cent higher than
the values indicated by the curve. On this basis concentrations would
range from about 35,000 per 100 ml. just below the Portland-Vancouver
area to about 4,000 per 100 ml. at Cathlamet.
Relation of Bacterial Quality to Water Uses
The bacterial contamination of the lower Columbia River constitutes
a health hazard to those who use the water for domestic water supply, for
swimming and water skiing, and for the various activities that involve
boating. The latter include pleasure boating, fishing, hunting, trapping,
navigation, and log transportation.
Domestic Water Supply
The Weyerhaeuser Timber Company water supply, as previously noted,
provides water for domestic use by the plants 1,000 employees. The in-
take for this supply is near the Washington bank of the Columbia River
38 miles below the Portland-Vancouver area.
Figure 2 indicates that the coliform organism content of the
Columbia River at the water supply intake during the August through
November period averages about 4,000 per 100 ml., or twice the objective
of 2,000 per 100 ml. for a source of domestic water supply. It should
be noted that Figure 2 represents average bacterial quality across the
entire river at any selected point. Actually the bacterial contamination
of the water at the Weyerhaeuser intake is somewhat worse than is in-
dicated by Figure 2. Data on coliform organisms are available from
samples of the untreated water submitted to the Washington State Depart-
ment of Health laboratory. During the August through November periods
of 1956 and 1957 the average coliform organism content of 22 samples was
nearly 58,000 per 100 ml., with concentrations ranging from 1,100 to
240,000 per 100 ml. The median of the 22 values was between 4,600 and
11,000 per 100 ml. The latter is believed to be more nearly representa-
tive of the actual water quality at the intake than is the average for
the river at this point.
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- 17 -
Nineteen of the 22 samples examined by the Washington Health
Department laboratory had coliform organisms in excess of 2,000 per 100
ml. This represents 86 per cent of the samples, or more than four
times the 20 per cent limit adopted by the Pollution Control Council.
Vancouver and Cathlamet, Washington, have plans to supplement their
municipal water supplies from the Columbia River. Figure 2 indicates
that the coliform organism concentration of the Columbia above Vancouver
averages less than 2,000 per 100 ml,, but at Cathlamet it averages about
3,000 per 100 ml. during the August through November period. The latter
concentration is 50 per cent in excess of the Council's objective for a
source of domestic water supply.
Swirmningjaind Water Skiing
Both those who swim and those who water ski almost inevitably
swallow some water. Figure 2 indicates that the water ingested would
contain bacteria of sewage origin ranging from 23,300 per 100 ml., just
below the Portland-Vancouver area, to 2,600 per 100 ml. at Cathlamet.
Since 100 ml. is approximately one large mouthful of water the swimmer
or skiier could ingest the above numbers of sewage bacteria in one
swallow. The concentrations range from 97 to 11 times the water quality
objective of 2hO per 100 ml.
Figure 2 indicates that the average coliform organism concentra-
tion at Reeder Beach, a known swimming area, is about 9,000 per 100 ml.
Samples collected throughout a river cross section opposite this beach
during September and October 1955> yielded an average coliform organism
concentration of 18,700 per 100 ml., or about twice the value indicated
by the curve. Similar samples collected about two miles upstream from
Reeder Beach during the same period yielded an average of 12,500 per 100
ml., which is closer to the concentration indicated by Figure 2.
Activities Involving Boating
Boats are used on the Columbia River for pleasure and relaxation,
for sport and commercial fishing, for hunting and trapping, and for
navigation. All of these activities involve some direct contact with
the water, even though it be no more than the spray from the bow of a
fast boat speeding over the water.
Figure 2 indicates that the coliform organism concentrations range
from 26 times the water quality objective of 1,000 per 100 ml. for this
type of water use just below the Port land-Vancouver area, to 3 times the
objective at Cathlamet.
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- 18 -
Summary of Bacterial Quality
The data on bacterial contamination of the lower Columbia River
indicate that the river water does not meet the bacterial water quality
objectives established by the Pollution Control Council for any of the
uses made of the river between the Portland-Vancouver area and Cathlamet.
About 92.6 per cent of the bacterial contamination responsible for
these hazards to health originate in the sewage discharges of the Portland-
Vancouver area, with Portland contributing an estimated 96.7 per cent of
the total from the area.
Interferences With Welfare
In addition to the hazards to health caused by pathogenic bacteria
of sewage origin, there are interferences with fishing in the lower
Columbia River by non-pathogenic bacteria which flourish on some of the
organic wastes.
Water Quality Objectives
The Pollution Control Council, Pacific Northwest Area, adopted
objectives designed to prevent interferences with water uses which would
endanger the welfare of the public. The applicable objective in this
case deals with floating, suspended and settleable solids and sludge
deposits. This objective states that there shall be none of the above
materials attributable to sewage, industrail wastes or other wastes or
which, after reasonable dilution and mixture with receiving waters
interferes with the best use of these waters for various types of water
supply, for bathing, swimming and recreation, and for growth and propaga-
tion of fish.
Bacterial Slimes
Some of the organic compounds in sewage and industrial wastes
support bacterial slime growths in receiving waters. There are several
types of these slimes, of which a common and widespread one is
Sphaerotilus. This organism thrives on hexoses, pentoses, organic acids,
alcohols and nitrogenous compounds such as eud.no acids, even when these
materials are present in extremely low concentrations. Slime infesta-
tions have been found in the presence of fairly high concentrations of
sewage, and below dairy, cannery, beet sugar, brewery, slaughterhouse,
cellulose acetate, and sulfite and kraft pulp and paper plants. In the
absence of artificial pollution with organic materials, slime infesta-
tions will not occur.
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- 19 -
Under favorable conditions Sphaerolitus attaches to an underwater
solid surface and grows as chains, or filaments, of cells surrounded by
a sheath. The filaments are encased in gelatinous capsular material.
Colonies of the filaments develop into either tufts or plumes. The
plumes may be as much as an inch or more in diameter and several inches
long. These tufts and filaments may die and break off to float down-
stream. They also may be broken off by increased velocity of the water.
They grow on log rafts tied up along the edge of the Columbia and break
off when the logs are removed from the water. These detached slimes
float downstream for many miles when stream velocities are sufficient
to keep them from settling. They also settle to the bottom in quiet
areas of the river. Here they form sludge masses which either decompose
or may be re-suspended by increased stream velocities accompanying in-
creased stream flows to drift on downstream.
A characteristic of the slimes is the tendency of the gelatinous
masses to become entwined with and cling tightly to objects with which
they come in contact in the stream.
Occurrences of Slimes in Lower Columbia River
Bacterial slimes, or Sphaerotilus, have occurred intermittently
in the lower Columbia River for at least 20 years. It has not been
possible to establish definitely the year when the slimes first became
a problem.
December 19^0 Through April 19^2
Complaints caused by the slimes came to the attention of the
Oregon State Sanitary Authority and the Washington State Pollution
Commission who undertook a cooperative study of the problem. Field
work was started in December 19k), and was completed in April 19^2. The
findings were published in 19^3 as a "Report on Investigation of Pollu-
tion in the Lower Columbia River," This has become known as the Lincoln
and Foster report, after its authors.
This report described the following areas in which the slimes
were observed to be growing prolificly during the period of field study.
All areas were along the Washington side of the river.
1. Camas Slough in the Vicinity of The Crown Willamette Paper
Company (now Crown Zellerbach Corporation) pulp and paper
mill waste outfall, and downstream along the river bank as
far as Brickyard (Ellsworth), about 6 miles below the mouth
of Camas Slough, and about 7 miles above the Interstate
Bridge at Vancouver.
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- 20 -
2. Immediately below the waste outfall of the Columbia River
Paper Mills Company at Vancouver and downstream for a
distance of nearly k miles.
3. From a point nearly 300 yards above the Weyerhaeuser Timber
Company Pulp Mill, just below Longview, downstream almost
to Barlow Point, a total distance of about 3 miles.
The authors stated that the slimes grew only in areas where
wastes from pulp mills were present in considerable strength. They also
confirmed the relation between slime growth and pulp mill wastes by con-
trolled experiments in wooden troughs through which river water, containing
various concentrations of pulp mill wastes, flowed continuously.
Based on the experimental trough work the authors concluded that
growth of Sphaerotilus in significant amounts occurred when digester
liquor from either sulflte or sulfate pulp manufacturing was present
in concentrations of 50 ppm or greater. They also concluded that
Sphaerotilus grew on fixed objects in the river only where concentra-
tions of fresh digester liquor were consistently in excess of 50 ppm
of equivalent sulfite liquor having 10 per cent total solids.
The report stated that floating slime caught on fishermen's nets
and inhibited fishing from Camas to the mouth of the Columbia. Fishermen
above Camas were not affected by Sphaerotilus at any time.
During the period of the study most prolific slime growth was
observed in the months of September, October and November 19^1, with the
maximum floating slime occurring in November.
Summer 1951
The Washington Pollution Control Commission conducted a study of
the lower Columbia River in the summer of 1951. The results of this
work were published as a report on "An Investigation of Pollution in
the Lower Columbia River."
The authors of that report stated that slime growth was scanty in
Camas Slough, below the Crown Zellerbach Corporation waste line, and as
far downstream in the Columbia as Fishers Landing, about 2 miles below
the mouth of the slough. At Ellsworth, however, about 6 miles below
the mouth of the slough, and at MeLoughlin, about 8 miles below, prolific
growths were observed on boats, logs, pilings and floats. Below
MeLoughlin the amount of growth decreased downstream to the Interstate
Bridge, where only traces were found.
At S.P. & S. R. R. Bridge, about two-thirds of a mile below the
Columbia River Paper Mills in Vancouver, a more profuse growth of
Sphaerotilus was observed than elsewhere in the survey area. The growing
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- 21 -
slime was very much in evidence for a little over 2 miles below the
waste outfall.
A limited amount of Sphaerotilus was found in the vicinity of
the Longview Fiber Company waste line at Longview. Just below the
Weyerhaeuser Timber Company pulp mill waste line slime growths appeared,
and were extensive about one-fourth mile below the mill. One mile
below the mill growths were present but had diminished considerably.
As in 191*1 floating slimes occurred for many miles below the
areas of growth.
Unpublished Observations
There have been observations of areas of slime growths since 1951
which have not been published. Among those making such observations
have been representatives of the Washington Pollution Control Commission,
the Oregon Sanitary Water Authority, and the U. S. Public Health Service.
Summary of Occurrences of Slimes
On the basis of the published reports and discussions with in-
dividuals who have observed the growing slimes it is concluded that
slime growths have occurred in the lower Columbia River in the approx-
imate locations indicated in Figure 3* The reasons for isolated areas
of growth well below Vancouver and below Cathlamet are not clear. The
river must carry nutrients, principally from the pulp and paper mill
wastes, in concentrations adequate to support growth past the intervening
areas where slime growths were not observed. It is probable that favor-
able combinations of nutrients, currents, water velocities, and suitable
attachment surfaces coincide only where growths actually occurred.
The published reports, the observations by qualified persons,
and complaints by fishermen establish the fact that drifting slimes
occur intermittently throughout the entire length of the Columbia from
Camas to Cathlamet in quantities that interfere with fishing operations.
Figure 3 also indicates the relative quantities of organic wastes,
as measured by oxygen demand, discharged to the river from the major
sources of wastes. The quantities, in population equivalents, were
given in Table 2, and were discussed in the section on organic wastes.
Causes of Bacterial Slimes
Observations of slime growths in the Columbia River, controlled
experimental growth of slime in river water in the presence of sulfite
-------
LONGV1EW FIBER
WEYERHAEUSER
CATHLAME
FIGURE 3
COLUMBIA RIVER
ORGANIC WASTES
SLIME GROWTHS
LEGEND
WASTE-100,000 RE.
SLIME GROWTH AREAS!
HEAVY
BONNEVILLE
DAM
PORTLAND SEWAGE
PORTLAND
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- 22 -
and sulfate pulp mill digester liquors and of other organic materials,
experience with slime growths in other streams, and knowledge of sources
of organic wastes in the lower Columbia River combine to indicate that
sulfite and sulfate pulp and paper mills are the principal cause of
excessive slime growths in the lower Columbia.
It is probable that organic wastes other than those from pulp
and paper mills contribute in a limited degree to the total quantity
of slime growth in the Columbia. Of these the sewage from Portland and
the wastes from canning plants in Vancouver are the principal individual
sources of organic materials, accounting for about 7,5 per cent of the
total P.E. from all sources. This is more than one-half of the estimated
12.8 per cent of the P. E. from all sources of wastes other than pulp
and paper mills. The pulp and paper mill wastes, as noted earlier,
account for the remaining 87.2 per cent of the total P.E.
It appears that no serious slime problem would occur in the lower
Columbia River in the absence of pulp and paper mill pollution.
Table 3 gives the reported pulp production capacities of the mills
in the area. These data are based on designed capacities rather than on
actual production. It is rare that a plant produces at exact design
capacity. When business is not good the plant may operate at less than
design capacity. In good times production may be pushed to exceed design
capacity by a significant percentage. It is reported, for example, that
both the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company and the Longview Fiber Company
plants at Longview, Washington, recently have been operating at greater
than their designed capacities.
In spite of irregularities in production it is believed that the
designed capacities provide a reasonable basis for evaluating the
relative importance of the individual plants in the over-all pollution
problem.
The growth of slimes has been associated principally with the
digester liquor content of the pulp and paper mill wastes. The digester
liquors contain most of the simple organic compounds that support the
slime growths. Waste sulfite digester liquor, for example, may contain
as much as H per cent of sugars and acetic acid.
In the study of waters involving pulp and paper mill wastes an
analytical method based on a lignin reaction has become accepted as a
means of determining approximate concentrations of digester liquors in
the receiving waters. The comparison standard used in this determina-
tion usually is sulfite waste liquor, adjusted to a 10 per cent solids
content. The results of determinations are reported as ppm of sulfite
waste liquor with 10 per cent solids (S.W.L.). This affords a con-
venient, though admittedly not exact, means of comparing the pulp and
paper mill wastes from all sources. Most of the studies of the Columbia
River have included examination of river samples by this method.
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- 23 -
Table 3
Beported* Pulp Production Capacity
Lower Columbia River
Pulp in Tons Per Day
Semi- Ground or
Plant Sulfite Sulfate Chemial Mechanical Totals
Crown Zellerbach Corp., 360 605 - 100 1,065
Camas
Columbia River Paper Mills, 120 - - 120
Vancouver
Crown Zellerbach Corp - - 375 - - 375
St. Helens (Formerly St.
Helens Pulp & Paper Co.)
Kaiser Gypsum Co., Inc. - - - 1^5
St. Helens (Formerly Fir-
Tex Insulating Board Co.)
Longview Fiber Co., - 702 k6 39
Longview
Weyerhaeuser Timber Co., 330 200 150 - 680
Longview
International Paper Co., - 10 10
Longview (Formerly Long-
Bell Lumber Co.)
Washington Pulp & Timber Co. - - 32 32
Longview
Publishers Paper Co.,
Oregon City
Totals
105 :_ -
915 1,182 196
1?5 300
521 3,51^
* Lockvoods Directory of the
Pulp and Paper Industry.
-------
Data on actual digester liquor volumes from the several mills on
the lover Columbia River are not available for use in this report.
Approximations of the volumes from those using chemical digestion processes
are possible if certain assumptions are accepted as reasonable. It is
realized that actual volumes of digester liquor vary from plant to plant
and even from time to time in the same plant. The following assumptions
are adopted as a basis for the approximations.
1. That both sulfite and sulfate pulp mills produce approximately
2,200 gallons of used digester liquor, with 10 per cent solids,
per ton of pulp produced, and that the liquors from both types
of mills are equivalent in materials that will support slimes.
2. That all sulfate pulp mills and magnesium base sulfite pulp
mills recover 85 per cent of the used digester liquors.
3. That used semichemlcal digester liquor is recovered with
used sulfate liquor, and that the combined strength and
volume of semichemical digester liquor discharged per ton of
pulp is equivalent to 15 per cent of the sulfite waste liquor
discharged from a ton of calcium base sulfite pulp.
Table h has been computed on the basis of the above assumptions
and the pulp production figures given in Table 3.
On this basis the Crown Zellerbach Corporation at Camas is the
largest contributor of equivalent sulfite waste liquor, with U6.3 per
cent of the total liquor discharged to the lower Columbia River. This
company's plant at St. Helens is the smallest contributor, with an
estimated 5.8 per cent of the total. The other four mills are fairly
closely grouped, with contributions in the range of 10.6 to 13.5 per
cent.
If the estimates in Table 4 are reasonable it is somewhat surpris-
ing that more concentrated growth has not been reported immediately below
Longview, where the two mills there discharge a combined 22.1 per cent of
the total.
Apparently some unknown combination of river characteristics
permits the Longview wastes to produce intermittent light slime growth
as far downstream as Cathlamet, rather than concentrated growth such as
that which occurs below Camas and Vancouver.
The Lincoln and Poster report included the conclusion, as previously
noted, that Sphaerotilus growth should not be excessive if S.W.L. con-
centrations in the Columbia were held below about 50 ppm. In 1951 and
1952 the plants of Crown Zellerbach Corporation, Columbia River Paper
Mils, Longview Fiber Company, and Weyerhaeuser Timber Company installed
waste diffusion lines to remove the discharges of digester liquor wastes
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- 25 -
Table k
Estimated Equivalents of Waste Sulfite Digester Liquor
Discharged to Lower Columbia River
Est. Equivalent Sulfite Digester Liquor-Gals/Day
Type of Pulp Per
Semi- Cent of
Sulfite Sulfate Chemical Total Total
Crown Zellerbach, 792,000 198,000 990,000 1*6.3
Camas
Columbia River Paper 26^,000 261*,000 12.3
Mills, Vancouver
Crown Zellerbach, 123,000 123,000 5*8
St. Helens
Longview Fiber, 231,000 15,000 21*6,000 11.5
Longview
Weyerhaeuser Timber, 110,000 66,000 50,000 226,000 10.6
Longview
Publishers Paper, 288,000 288,000 13.5
Oregon City
1,1*5^,000 618,000 65,000 2,137,000 100.0
from the quiet waters near the river bank and to distribute them in the
currents of the main river channel. These changes were made in an effort
to control the slimes by reducing digester liquor concentrations to or
below 50 ppm. These commendable efforts did not accomplish the desired
results, and interference with fishing continues to be a problem.
The estimated volumes of equivalent sulfite waste liquor in Table 4
provide a basis for estimating possible concentrations of S.W.L. in the
Columbia. As noted earlier, average monthly flows in the Columbia below
Bonneville Dam often are as low as 80,000 cfs. In addition, diurnal control
of flow by Bonneville Dam at times of peaking power operations during low
flow periods results in flows during nights as low as 30,000 to 1*0,000 cfs
for 7 to 9 consecutive hours. Possible concentrations of the estimated
digester liquor volumes, as given in Table U, completely diluted in 80,000
and 35,000 cfs are presented in Table 5.
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- 26 -
Table 5
Estimated Concentrations of Waste
Digester Liquor at Minimum Flows
in the Lower Columbia River
Source Of
Digester Liquor
Equivalent S.W.L. - ppm
At 00,000 cfs
At 35,000 cfs
Crown Zellerbach, Camas
Columbia Paper Mills Company
Crown Zellerbach, St. Helens
Longview Fiber
Weyerhaeuser Timber
Publishers Paper Company
Total, All Sources
19.1
5.1
U.8
43.8
11.7
10.9
10.0
9^.5
These estimates indicate that the concentration of the total of
all S.W.L., after complete dilution and mixture in a daily flow of
80,000 cfs, would be about Uo ppm. The computed concentrations make no
allowance for the occurrence of higher localized concentrations before
complete mixture and dilution of the wastes. For a few hours each night
during a prolonged low flow period, when peaking power operations are in
effect, the total of all S.W.L. could give a concentration nearly double
the 50 ppm level. The Crown Zellerbach Corporation wastes at Camas alone
could approach 50 ppm. It is not known whether intermittent, but regular,
occurrence of the higher concentrations could support excessive slime
growths. Experimental work on a laboratory scale has indicated that
slimes do not grow well when fed intermittently with S.W.L. Other
experiments have indicated, however, that the slimes may grow at con-
centrations of S.W.L. as low as 20 ppm.
It has been stated previously that Sphaerotilus needs a suitable
attachment surface to produce large tufts and streamers. Much of the
bottom of the lower Columbia River is composed of shifting sand, which
apparently is not suitable for growth. Most of the attached growth
observed has been on gravel and rocks on the side and bottom of the river
channel, on log rafts, and on pilings, docks and other structures in the
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- 27 -
river. Sjphaerotilus also has "been reported to be able to attach to and
grow on the wood fibers, or pulp particles, which are discharged as one
constituent of the wastes from pulp and paper mills. Data are not
available for this report on pulp losses at the individual plants in-
volved. It is known that all of them discharge some wood fibers to the
river which may serve as attachment surfaces for Sphaerotilus growths.
It has been reported that waste discharged from each 100 tons of
sulfite pulp produced is capable of growing TO tons of Sphaerotilus. If
the assumptions used in estimating the equivalent sulfite waste liquor
in Table k be reasonable this indicates an equivalent sulfite pulp pro-
duction from all chemical pulp mills in the area of 970 tons per day.
On the basis of the above ratio this pulp production could support 680
tons of Sphaerotilus growth per day.
Fishing
The bacterial slimes interfere with both commercial and sport
fishing.
Commercial Fishing
Gill nets are used for commercial fishing in the lower Columbia
River. Some description of the gill net and its operation is necessary
to an understanding of how the slimes interfere with its use.
There is no standard size net, but individual sections frequently
are about 1,200 feet long and 6 to 8 feet wide. Two or more net sections
may be tied together to provide a large net for fishing in deep or wide
areas of the river.
The gill net, as commonly used, is not a single vertical net, but
rather consists of three different portions. One portion is the main
net, which may be one or more of the 6 to 8 by 1,200 foot sections
mentioned above. The meshes of this net vary in size from about 3.5
inches up to 5 or 6 inches square. The second portion of the net is not
so wide as the main net. This portion, attached to the top of the main
net along its length, floats in front (downstream) of the main net, with
the bottom of the front net unattached and maintaining an opening of
several feet between it and the main net. This serves to prevent fish
from swimming up and over the main net when they contact it. The third
portion of the net is called a trammel. The meshes of the trammel net
are large enough for the large fish to pass through. This net is also
attached along the length of the top of the main net, and floats behind
it (upstream). When a fish is too large for its gills to enter the
smaller meshes of the main net the struggling fish pushes a portion of
-------
- 28 -
the main net through the large meshes of the trammel net. This forms a
pocket in which the fieh is trapped.
The nets are made of linen, cotton, or nylon twine. All sections
of the twine are knotted at top and bottom of the net, and at all points
where vertical and horizontal lines cross to form the meshes. A single
section of net may have over 100,000 knots.
The net has floats at the top and weights, or sinkers, at the
"bottom. The balance between the floats and sinkers may be such that the
top of the net floats at the surface as it drifts downstream, in which
case the net is called a "floater." This type of net cannot be adjusted
to keep the bottom of the net near the irregular bottom of the river,
and fish escape through the gap between the bottom of the net and the
bed of the river. For this reason many fishermen prefer the "sinker"
net. The balance of this net is delicately adjusted so that the net
sinks until its bottom just touches the bottom of the river. The bottom
of the net then tends to conform to the irregular bottom of the river as
it drifts downstream, and prevents fish from escaping beneath it. The
net floats in a nearly vertical position with its top slightly ahead
(downstream) of its bottom.
When the twine of a net is fully flexible and the balance of the
net is properly adjusted by an experienced fisherman the net acts almost
like a live thing when a fish contacts it. The strands of the net wrap
around and entangle the fish and the more the fish struggles the more
tightly trapped it becomes.
The slimes interfere with the use of gill nets in several ways.
As the net drifts downstream the slimes with which it comes in contact
tend to become entwined with and adhere to the lines of the net. The
slimes have a special tendency to tangle around the many knots of the net.
When quantities of slimes are not extreme much of the interference
with fishing appears to result from the added resistance of the net to
the water that is caused by the slimes. This reduces the liveliness of
the net and its effectiveness in entangling the fish. It also affords
more drag against the efforts of the fish to pull out of the net, and
apparently increases the number that escape. Some fishermen believe the
presence of slimes on a net increases the probability that fish will see
the net and avoid it. Thus, moderate slimes reduce the numbers of fish
caught.
Abundant drifting slimes may weight a net down and destroy the
delicate balance necessary for successful fishing. Instead of floating
in *, nearly vertical position the top will tilt farther and farther ahead
of the bottom of the net until it is nearly lying on the bottom of the
river. The fish then pass over the net and escape.
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- 29 -
The fisherman normally makes three to four drifts per day. When
slimes are a problem it may "be necessary to clean the net after each
drift. This reduces the time that can be devoted to fishing. Sometimes
the cleaning takes so much time that it is possible to make only one
drift per day. Many methods of cleaning the nets have been tried, but
picking the slime off the multitudinous knots by hand has been the most
successful method found.
The drifting slimes are worse in some areas of the river than in
others. Drifts where the problem is worse often have been abandoned by
fishermen for a month at a time. Since commercial fishing is allowed
for only 131 days per year the loss of a month of fishing time represents
a serious loss of income to the fishermen.
The slimes also are reported to cause rotting of nets. The nets
become weak at the knots, where the slimes are more difficult to remove
completely. Even when a net is cleaned it is nearly impossible to re-
move all traces of slime from the innumerable knots. The residual slime
clumps tend to keep the knots moist when the net is laid out to dry.
This apparently affords an opportunity for microorganisms, of an un-
identified type, to attack or rot the twine. Experienced commercial
fishermen claim that the resulting rotting may shorten the life of even
a well cared for nylon net by as much as one year of its normal three
years of usefulness. Since a nylon net costs $1,500 to $2,000 this re-
duction in net life represents another serious financial loss to the
fisherman. Linen nets are said to be affected even more seriously than
nylon by the rotting attributed to slimes, and may last only a year. For
this reason most fishermen use nylon nets even though they cost about
three times as much as linen.
Under normal conditions a net should be treated about once a year
with a disinfecting solution of a copper compound. When slimes foul the
nets it may be necessary to use the copper solution as often as once a
week.
It is reported that slimes grow on the bottoms of the commercial
fishermen's boats below the water line. It is said that the accumula-
tions of slime sometimes become so great that they actually reduce the
speeds of the boats to the extent that it becomes necessary to remove
them from the water and scrape off the slimes.
There are adequate pictures, records of complaints by fishermen,
and personal observations of actual problems by reliable individuals to
establish the fact that slimes in the lower Columbia River cause serious
interference with commercial fishing, and financial loss to commercial
fishermen. There has not been a sufficiently systematic recording of the
magnitude, occurrence, and effects of interference to permit a reliable
estimate of the actual financial loss involved.
-------
- 30 -
There has been a narked decline in gill net licenses Issued to
Columbia River commercial fishermen since 19^8. In that year 1,102
licenses were issued, compared to 792 in 1956. This represents a decrease
of nearly Uo fishermen per year. No claim has been made that this continu-
ing reduction can be attributed completely or even principally to the
slime problem. The opinion has been expressed, however, that the diffi-
culties caused by slimes may have been the final factor among several in
the decisions of some of the commercial fishermen to give up this means
of livelihood.
Since 19^2 the annual commercial pack of Columbia River salmon has
averaged about one-half of that in the years preceding 19^2. The annual
average pack for the 15 years since 19^2 has been 19^,000 cases, compared
to 3dO,000 for the preceding 15 years. Here again there are so many
factors involved in the reduction that it is not possible to access the
portion attributable to the slime problem. There can be little doubt
that the slimes have caused some portion of the reduction.
Sport Fishing
Sport fishermen complain that the slimes interfere with their
success in taking fish.
The experienced sport fisherman attributes much of his success In
catching fish to his knowledge of the exact spot where the fish are apt
to pass in the river, and to his skill in placing his lure exactly on
that spot. His complaints involve several problems presented by the
slimes.
On the cast, while the line is settling through the water, the
slimes attach themselves to the line. The resistance to the water caused
by the added slime mass allows the current to sweep the line downstream
from the spot at which the lure was aimed.
If the fisherman uses a heavier sinker to overcome the drag on
the line caused by the slimes it is more difficult to feel the tug on
the line when the fish bites. In addition the heavier sinker offers more
resistance to the pull of the fish when it tries to escape, and the fish
has a better chance of tearing loose from the hook.
Even when the fisherman is successful in placing the lure where
he wants It the slimes may attach themselves to the lure and hide it from
the fish.
Here again, as In the case of commercial fishing, systematic records
are not available to allow evaluation of the quantitative impact of this
problem. It has caused irritation and complaint on the part of sport
fishermen whose pleasure In their sport has been lessened, and whose
chances of maximum fishing success have been reduced.
-------
- 31 -
SUMMARY
The lower Columbia River, "between Bonneville Dam and Cathlamet,
Washington, is used for almost every purpose that a river can serve.
The river serves as the source of domestic and industrial water
supply and of water for a small amount of irrigation. It is used for
recreation, which includes boating, swimming, water skiing, fishing,
waterfowl hunting, and a limited amount of trapping. The river has high
scenic value. It supports navigation, involving transportation of large
quantities of raw materials and finished products. The Columbia is an
important spawning ground for anadronomous fishes, and its salmon and
steelhead trout provide a livelihood for commercial fishermen, and
recreation for sport fishermen. The river carries away the liquid wastes
produced by towns and industries along its banks*
The sewage and industrial wastes discharged to the Columbia produce
conditions that conflict with some of the other uses of its waters. Many
of the water quality objectives for protection of water uses adopted by
the Pollution Control Council of the Pacific Northwest Area are not met.
Immediately below the Portland-Vancouver area coliform organisms
from sewage are about 97 times the Pacific Northwest Area Pollution Control
Council's water quality objective for water used for swimming. These
bacteria decrease downstream to an estimated 11 times the objective at
Cathlamet. Immediately below the Portland-Vancouver area the coliform
organisms are 26 times the objective for water used for boating, fishing,
and other activities involving similar contact with the water. At
Cathlamet the bacterial concentrations are estimated to be 3 times the
objective for these uses. In the area of the source of both domestic
and industrial water supply for the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company at
Longview it is estimated that the average concentration of coliform
organisms originating in sewage discharged above Longview is twice the
Council's objective for water used as a source of domestic water supply
with the type of water treatment provided. Sewage discharged from
Longview above the water intake is estimated to increase the average
coliform concentration to nearly k times the objective.
Nearly 93 per cent of the bacterial contamination responsible for
these violations of water quality objectives is from sewage discharged
in the Portland-Vancouver area. It is estimated that nearly 97 per cent
of the combined contamination from the Port land-Vancouver area is from
Portland sewage.
Organic wastes discharged to this section of the Columbia support
growths of non-pathogenic bacterial slimes (Sphaerotilus). These slimes,
growing in profuse quantities in certain areas, break loose and drift
down the river to foul the gill nets of commercial fishermen and the
-------
lines and lures of sport fishermen. The drifting slimes interfere with
both types of fishing from just below Camas all the way downstream to
the mouth of the Columbia. The slimes cause a financial loss to
commercial fishermen and reduce the pleasure of sport fishing.
All evidence points to pulp and paper mills which use chemical
pulping processes as the principal sources of wastes that provide the
nutrients on which the slimes grow. Areas in the river where the growing
slimes have been observed are all on the Washington side of the river
below the Crown Zellerbach Corporation pulp and paper mill at Camas, the
Columbia River Paper Mills at Vancouver, and the Longview Fiber and the
Weyerhaeuser Timber Company pulp and paper mills at Longview. The
Publishers Paper Company at Oregon City, Oregon, contributes to the
problem by barging most of its sulfite waste liquor to and discharging
it in the Columbia below the mouth of the Willamette during the months
of July through October. The Crown Zellerbach Corporation mill at St.
Helens discharges a relatively small amount of digester liquor to the
river on the Oregon side but in passing downstream this may supplement
the wastes from the Longview area and contribute to the sustained growth
for many miles below Longview.
It is evident that pollution of the Columbia River between Camas
and Cathlamet, Washington, constitutes pollution of interstate waters
subject to abatement under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act as
such pollution endangers the health and welfare of persons in States other
than those in which the discharges contributing to such pollution
originate.
-------
APPENDIX
-------
Table I
Bacterial Population Equivalents of Sewage Discharged To
Lower Columbia River
Source
Oregon
Clatskanie
Rainier
St. Helens
Portland
Portland Airport
Gresbam
Troutdale Multnomah County Farm
Reynolds Aluminum Company
Total Oregon
Washington
Cathlamet
Kelso
Longviev
International Paper Company
Longvlew Fiber Company
Reynolds Aluminum Plant
Weyerhaeuser Timber Company
Kalama
Woodland
Vancouver
it
Aluminum Company of America
Camas
Washougal
Washougal Woolen Mill
Total Washington
Total All Sources
Treatment
Intermediate -Chlorination
None
None
Primary
Primary-Chlorination
Primary-Chlorination
Secondary
Primary
None
Primary-Chlorination
it
it
ii
H
II
II
II
II
None
if
ii
H
IT
ft
ir
n
n
Primary-Chlorination
H
n
IT
II
Sewered
Population
800
1,200
^,500
280,000
3,000
3,000
1,000
500
29t*-,000
650
8,000
2^,000
1*00
570
120
1,000
1,000
1,000
^0,550
700
430
5,200
180
83,800
377,800
Bacterial
Number
80
1,200
MOO
lUO,000
300
300
100
250
146,730
650
800
2, toO
IfO
60
10
100
100
100
4,060
700
4o
520
20
9,600
156,330
Fop* Equivalent
Percent of Total
0.05
0.77
2.88
89.57
0.19
0.19
0.06
0.16
93.87
o.42
0.51
1.54
0.03
0.04
Negligible
0.06
0.06
0.06
2.60
0.45
0.03
0.33
Negligible
6.13
100.0
1
H
-------
A - 2
Table II
Oxygen Demand Population Equivalents of Sewage and
Industrial Wastes Discharged to Lower Columbia River
Population
Sewage
Source
Oregon
Clatskanie
Rainier
St. Helens
Kaiser Gypsum Co., Inc.
Crown Zellerbach Corp.
Portland
Associated Meat Packers
Columbia Wool Scouring Co*
Pacific Meat Company
Portland Airport
Portland Rendering Company
Portland Union Stockyard
Swift and Company
Gresham
Troutdale
Bissinger and Company
Multnomah County Farm
Reynolds Aluminum Company
Total Oregon
Washington
Cathlatnet
Kelso
Central Smelt Company
Longview
International Paper Company
Longview Fiber Company
Longview Meat Packing Company
Reynolds Aluminum Plant
Weyerhaeuser Timber Company
Kalama
Woodland
Number
320
1,200
4,500
-
-
218,000
*•
«•
-
2,100
-
-
-
5,900
-
200
350
232,570
650
5,200
.
16,000
uoo
Uoo
-
120
700
700
700
Per Cent
of Total
Negligible
O.OU
O.lU
-
-
6.78
*•
-
-
0,07
-
-
-
0.18
-
Negligible
0.01
7.22
0.02
0.16
.
0.50
0.01
0.01
*•
Negligible
0.02
0.02
0.02
Equivalent
Industrial Wastes
Number
-
tm
*»
100,000
150,000
-
4, 800
Unknown
2,000*
*•
500*
1,000
9,000
-
Unknown
.
-
267,300
-
-
Unknown
_
_
216,000
300
-
U07,000
.
.
Per Cent
of Total
-
_
-
3.11
if. 66
.
0.15
-
0.06
-
0.01
0.03
0.28
-
••
M
-
8.30
.
-
.
_
•»
6.72
0.09
-
12.66
••
.
* Estimated - subject to future check and correction.
-------
A - 3
Table II (Con't.)
Oxygen Demand Population Equivalents of Sewage and
Industrial Wastes Discharged to Lower Columbia River
Poulation Equivalent
Sewa
Source
Number
Per Cent
of Total
Industrial Wastes
Per Cent
Number of Total
Washington (Con't.)
Vancouver 29,150
Aluminum Company of America ^30
California Packing Company
Columbia River Paper Mill
Great Western Matting Company
Vancouver Plywood Company
Washington Canners Corporation
Camas 3,
Crown Zellerbach Corporation
Washougal 120
Washougal Woolen Mills
Total Washington
Total All Sources
58,210
290,780
0.90
0.01
76,000*
1*31,000
5,200
130
20,500*
0.11
1,500,000
Negligible
1.78 2,656,580
9.00 2,923,880
2.36
13. to
0.16
Negligible
0.6^
1*6^66
0.01
82.70
91-00
* Estimated - subject to future check and correction.
-------
CATHLAMET
>UGET is.
g} INTERNATIONAL PAPER CO.
vWEYERHAEUSER TIMBER CO.
REYNOLDS ALUMINUM PLANT
LONGVIEW FIBER CO.
LONGVIEW
r.. ATANIF
N
A
RAIN!ER
oVC KALAM A
C)WOODLAND
ST. HELENS
TREATMENT
NONE
PRIMARY
€) PRIMARY a CHLORINAT10N
® INTERMEDIATE & CHLOR'.NATION
O SECONDARY
FIGURE I
COLUMBIA RIVER
SOURCES OF SEWAGE
ALUMINUM CO. OF AMERICA
^VANCOUVER
r.
CAMAS
WASHOUGAL
WOOLEN
BONNEVILLE
DAM
IRPORT
ALUMINUM CO.
MULTNOMAH COUNTY FARM
GRESHAM
-------
N
•PUGET IS.
WEYERHAEUSER TIMBER
'^LONGVIEW FIBER CO.
CO.
KAISER GYPSUM CO. INC.-
CROWN ZELLERBACH CORP®,
FIGURE TI
COLUMBIA RIVER
PRINCIPAL SOURCES
OF ORGANIC WASTES
c/2
ULi
PORTLAND
TYPE OF WASTE
O CANNING PLANT
Q PULP ft PAPER MILL
9 SEWAGE
HAYDEN ISLAND
COLUMBIA RIVER
VANCOUVER
CALIFORNIA
PAPER MILLS
PACKING CO.
CANNERS CORP
CROWN ZELLERBACH
) CORPORATION
BONNEVILLE
DAM
LADY ISLAND
GOVERNMENT ISLAND
------- |