From the Tualatin to Your Tap: Celebrating National Water Quality Month

Happy National Water Quality Month! Every August, National Water Quality Month reminds us how precious our fresh water is to our community. Clean water is vital to our health, our region's agriculture, and the natural world around us.

Every drop of water that comes out of your tap starts out in a river or in a dam and reservoir. Hillsboro's primary water source is the upper Tualatin River and its tributaries, which stretch nearly 80 miles from the Tillamook State Forest to where the river meets the Willamette near West Linn.

In the summer, the Tualatin's flow drops too low to meet our community's demand. Two reservoirs supplement river levels.

The Barney Reservoir is located in the Trask River Watershed and holds 20,000 acre-feet of water at capacity, of which 14,886 acre-feet is available for drinking water.

The Scoggins Reservoir - also known as Hagg Lake - is located near Gaston. The reservoir stores approximately 53,323 acre-feet of water when full, of which 13,500-acre feet is available for drinking water.

An acre-foot is the amount that covers an acre with a foot of water and is equal to 325,851 gallons.

Looking ahead, Hillsboro will soon add a secondary year-round water source in the Willamette River. At 187 miles long, it's the 19th-largest river in the country by volume. It originates south of Eugene, with the future intake for Hillsboro in Wilsonville.

5 Ways to Protect Water Quality at Home

1. Take your car to the carwash instead of washing it at home. Car washes capture and treat runoff that would otherwise carry soap and chemicals straight into storm drains. If you do wash your car at home, do so on grass or gravel instead of your driveway to minimize runoff.
2. Pick up after your pet. Pet waste left on the ground can end up in the stormwater system and harm aquatic life in our rivers and streams.
3. Don't over fertilize. Only use the recommended amount to keep your lawn and garden healthy to prevent unnecessary chemical runoff.
4. Don't flush medication down the toilet. Unlike in TV and movies, it's not safe to flush medications, which can cause problems for sewer systems or local streams. Visit Oregon's Safe Drug Disposal website and enter your zip code to find approved drop-off locations for your prescription and over-the-counter medications.
5. Utilize local recycling centers for household hazardous materials like paint, used oil, antifreeze, or cleaning supplies. Check Metro's disposal guidance for safe options and upcoming collection events.

Small changes add up to make a big difference. Thank you for doing your part to protect the rivers and reservoirs we all rely on.