Columbia River Basin

View from Dog Mountain Trail.

Canadian Northwest to the ocean so blue Roll on Columbia, roll on - Woody Guthrie

The Columbia River Basin covers a major portion of the landscape of North America, including parts of seven states and British Columbia. It provides drainage for hundreds of tributaries over an area of more than 260,000 square miles, and is an important backdrop for urban settlement and development, agriculture, transportation, recreation, fisheries and hydropower. It also serves as a unique and special ecosystem, home to many important plants and animals. Read more about the Columbia River.

Toxics Reduction Action Plan

The Columbia River Toxics Reduction Action Plan (PDF) (20pp, 290K) provides a watershed-based framework for restoring the health of the Columbia River Basin by reducing contamination from DDT, PCB, mercury, flame retardants (such as PBDEs), and other toxics that are causing ecosystem and human health concerns.

On August 24, 2011 in Spokane, representatives from tribes, states, federal agencies, and non-profits agreed to formalize the Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working Group and signed an Executive Statement (PDF) (2 pp, 392K) committing to continue to work together to reduce toxics. The representatives agreed to hold a follow up meeting in one year.

Columbia River Toxics Reduction Action Plan Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 1.2MB)

State of the River Report

The State of the River Report for Toxics is a summary of what we know about four widespread contaminants in the Columbia River Basin: mercury, DDT and its breakdown products, PCBs, and PBDE flame retardants. The report also highlights many important efforts to reduce toxics already underway in the Basin.

Columbia River: A National Priority

In EPA's Strategic Plan, the Columbia River is considered one of our Nation’s great water bodies, joining the Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, South Florida Ecosystem, Long Island Sound and Puget Sound. The strategic plan sets environmental targets which will help to move toward a healthier river:

Protect, enhance, or restore 13,000 acres of wetland habitat and 3,000 acres of upland habitat in the Lower Columbia River watershed.
Clean up 150 acres of known highly contaminated sediments.
Demonstrate a 10% reduction in mean concentration of contaminants of concern found in water and fish tissue.

The Columbia River Basin is also part of EPA's Large Aquatic Ecosystems program along with other geographic-based efforts that focus on protecting and restoring the health of critical aquatic ecosystems.