Columbia River Toxic Reduction Outreach and Education Project

The Columbia River Toxic Reduction Outreach and Education Project resulted in increased visibility of the issue of toxic contamination of fishery resources to the public and decision makers, improved ability of tribes to monitor water resources, and provided wider support for tribal efforts to establish protective water quality standards. The project was designed to provide information to tribal members and the public about the production and discharge of toxic contaminants and other pollutants into the Columbia River watershed.

CRITFC subcontracted with each of the four tribes using the PCSRF funds to develop the following toxic contaminant outreach projects:

Nez Perce Tribe:

In May 2014 - April 2015, EPA conducted a survey of Nez Perce tribal members for information on fish consumption. The survey was intended to provide much needed information on high fish consumers which Nez Perce Tribe can use to develop their own human health criteria based water quality standards. Participation of tribal members in the survey was limited by lower than desired survey response rates. To meet survey targets, additional outreach and education was needed so that tribal members that had been selected for the survey would became aware of the importance of participating in the survey process. PCSRF project funds were used to publish outreach materials to assist in informing tribal members about the critical importance of participation in the ongoing Idaho fish consumption survey and how the results will contribute to the information used to develop higher water quality standards in the State of Idaho that will help in the recovery of salmon. PCSRF funds help in soliciting five volunteers to work on the survey. The response to the concerted outreach effort was outstanding. Completed interviews jumped from 2-3/day to 5-16/day when community interview sessions were held.

Yakima Nation:

Yakima Nation Cleanup of the Bradford Island site, Washington, is a top priority for the Yakama Nation in its efforts to protect and enhance tribal aquatic resources. The Bradford Island Awareness project is a public outreach effort to collect, interpret, summarize and distribute information that describes the nature and extent of the Bradford Island contamination site. Yakama Nation Fisheries used PCSRF project funds to plan, design, and develop an expanded level of public outreach to interpret and summarize the Bradford Island technical information during the cleanup and report it through a website in a manner easily understood by the public. The website will shortly be available through a link on the Yakama Nation Fisheries web page.

Warm Springs Tribe:

Warm Springs Design of monitoring systems and in-field continuous monitoring of streams for water quality parameters is part of Warm Springs’ plan to evaluate on reservation environmental conditions. In particular, the tribe is concerned with the many incidents that occur along highway 26 that involve spills of diesel and other contaminants as a result of vehicular accidents. PCSRF funds were used to support an online 2 day training focused on toxics transport and fate in soil matrices. The training was useful for developing the monitoring design plans for the highway 26 corridor.

Umatilla Tribe:

The CTUIR used PCSRF project funds to prepare a Leaders’ Resource documents book on water quality issues and to attend key meetings related to water quality. The meetings allowed CTUIR to share perspectives on treaty rights and challenges facing tribes that live in the Columbia River basin. The meetings focused on water quality concerns in the Columbia River watershed.

Growing evidence supports the alarming fact that Columbia Basin fish are exposed to a wide range of dangerous legacy and emerging toxic chemicals. Exposure can cause abnormalities including tumors, lesions, and endocrine imbalances that affect fish reproduction and cellular development. Mortalities can also result from diseases and changes in behavior associated with toxic exposure and bioaccumulation of pollutants. The Columbia River Toxic Reduction Outreach and Education Project has resulted in increased visibility of the issue of toxic contamination of fishery resources to the public and decision makers, improved ability of tribes to monitor water resources, and provided wider support for tribal efforts to establish protective water quality standards. The outreach efforts support improvement in environmental conditions for natural spawning populations of numerous species of fish including but not limited to spring Chinook, fall Chinook, bull trout, summer steelhead, and lamprey.