Tualatin River Watershed Demonstration Project: Drinking Water Source Protection and Habitat Conservation Landscape Analysis 

In 2009, Oregon was selected to participate in one of several national demonstration projects integrating land use and water quality issues, called “Enabling Source Water Protection: Aligning State Land Use and Water Protection Programs”. The work was completed in 2010 under a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, Smart Growth Leadership Institute, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators and River Network. 

The goal of Oregon’s project was to create a replicable GIS-based tool to assist in prioritizing lands and sensitive areas for protection in the watershed above drinking water intake(s) by:

• Identifying healthy lands most important for conservation of water quality and
• Identifying impaired lands that ought to be restored to help protect water quality.

Due to additional grant funding by the Dorris Duke Charitable Foundation, TPL was also able to complete a third module to identify areas for habitat conservation opportunity. The Tualatin watershed was selected for the demonstration project due to its mix of urban, rural, forest and agricultural land uses and the potential for increasing population growth and land use changes that may threaten the quality of the drinking water supply for the region. The methods used can be transferred to other watersheds in Oregon and elsewhere.

A summary of the results are available on The Trust for Public Land Tualatin project website. The website includes:

• A summary of the data and GIS information that was gathered including over 40 separate GIS data layers created, developed, or acquired as part of the project. The GIS data layers can be used independently or in combination with a few others to implement important elements of drinking water protection or other water quality efforts. For more information, see Tualatin Landscape Analysis Criteria Matrix and Metadata Report on the Documentation tab.
• A summary of Tualatin Watershed information collected prior to the analysis (See Current Conditions Report dated September 11, 2009 on the Documentation tab.)
• Summary maps of prioritized areas for protection and restoration. (See Final Project Maps tab.)
• An online interactive mapping site and user guide. A username and password is required to access the online interactive mapping tool since it contains parcel scale tax-lot data. Contact Steve Aalbers, DEQ Drinking Water Protection Information Coordinator at (503) 229-6798 or by e-mail to discuss and gain permission to use this portion of the site.
• A final report detailing the project steps undertaken, explaining final products, and providing strategic recommendations for voluntary land conservation work and regulatory land protection is currently being prepared and will be posted under Documentation when it is complete (anticipated in August 2010).