Oregon Voices: Pioneering Water Pollution Control in Oregon

Abstract

OREGON VOICES Pioneering Water Pollution Control in Oregon byGlen D. Carter with an introduction by Douglas W. Larson INSEPTEMBER 1956,GLENCARTER became thefirst aquatic biologist to work for the Oregon State Sanitary Authority (OSSAj, theforerunner of theOregon Department of Environ mental Quality.When Carter joined the agency, ithad a staffof fifteen to twenty, includingprofessional engineers, chem ists,bacteriologists, and officesupport personnel. At that time, the expres sion "environmental quality" was still unfamiliar tomost Oregonians, and industrial wastes and raw sewage were commonly deposited in riversand other waterways. Today, environmental qual ity is a household phrase among most Oregonians, and nearly a thousandpro fessional engineers, chemists,geologists, bacteriologists, attorneys, officesupport personnel, and aquatic biologists are employed by theOregon Department of Environmental Quality. Although federal environmental mandates and public education contributed to increas ing concern about environmental issues and effortsto address them, the effortsof state agency staff in thefield played a critical role in environmental cleanup. The scientists and engineers who worked for the OSSA used their knowledge and experience to establish an advanced, scientificallysoundwater pollution controlprogram. Carter and other agency personnel who inspected disposal sites did so without wearing protective clothing and respirators because thevarious health risksassoci ated with these hazardous sites were largely unknown or minimized. Most of thesepeople have since died, possibly victims of longand frequent exposures to hazardous industrial chemicals and wastes. In this "Oregon Voices," Glen Carter describes water pollution problems that he encountered on the Willamette River while he worked for the OSSA. His memories representonlya smallportion of the work he conducted throughout the state and indicate themagnitude of the task that he and theOSSA confronted. He also offers a picture of a river that is unfamiliar to many Oregonians. Although pollution and habitat destruc 254 OHQ vol. 107, no. 2 ? 2006 Oregon Historical Society r-'V?t?Lfvr^' ?' 'krm & s ~*m: * *1 G/e?D. Carter stands on an oil companydock seweron the west side of thePortland Harbor on September 2,1959. The liquid beingdrained isa mixture ofoil and sewage. tion continue to strain the river, much has been done since the1950s to improve thehealth of the Willamette and other waterways in Oregon. Glens storyrepre sents theefforts ofone group thathelped protect the Willamette River. Carter, PioneeringWater Pollution Control inOregon 255 DURING THE LATENINETEENTH and early twentieth centuries,Oregon's population and economy grew rapidly, devastating the state's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Seemingly limitless in capacity, Oregon's waters were largely viewed as inexpensive, convenient disposal sites for an assortment of industrial, agricultural, and domestic wastes.1 Chief sources of pollution were discharged from pulp and paper mills? located atCoos Bay, Lebanon, Salem, Newberg, Oregon City, and West Linn? and raw domestic sew age discharged by nearly every cityand town inOregon.2 As early as the 1920s,private groups such as the IzaakWalton League and government agencies such as the Oregon State Board of Health and theU.S. Public Health Service called foractions to address water pollution. In 1938,Oregon voters approved, by three-to-one, an initiative thatwould establish statewide water-pollution regulations and an agency to enforce them.The new law created theOregon State Sanitary Authority (OSSA) and placed itunder the jurisdiction of the Oregon State Board ofHealth, which was already responsible for directing and cooperating with county health departments on public health issues, including the regulation of drinking water quality. OSSA was given full responsibility for water-pollution control, including the enforcement of water-quality standards where domestic and industrial wastes were being discharged.3 A seven-member commission pro vided public oversight of the agency. Commission members included the Statehealth officer,the state engineer, the chairman of the Fish Commission of Oregon, and the head of OSSA. Three additional members, one from each congressional district inOregon, were appointed by the governor to four-year terms.Harold Wendel, presi dent of theLipman-Wolfe department store,was chair of the commission for all ofOSSA's existence.4The legislature provided funding for seventeen posi tions, including professional engineers, chemists, bacteriologists, and office support personnel. Full implementa tion and staffing was delayed by World War II,however, duringwhich time the agency employed only two engineers, Carl Green and Kenneth Spies. After thewar, Curtiss Everts, an engineer,was...