Protect Drinking Water on the Siletz River

For over a year, the Siletz Watershed Council (Oregon) has formally worked with partners, to develop a "Clean Water Initiative" outlining steps and goals to protect our watersheds ecosystem and drinking water,

Pollution from outboard engines on boats and the potential for gasoline spills upstream of the city's intake for drinking water have been identified as a source.  This water is traditionally a drifted and rowed and only, over the last several years, have gas motor use increased significantly.

The stream bank 3/4 mile down river is the location for the only source of public drinking water for the town of Siletz.  Seasonal intakes supply cities of Newport and Toledo (Toledo also supplies Seal Rock District).  These system serve over 19,000 local residents and hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. Upriver property owners with water rights also need to be protected.

Late last year, working hand-in-hand with the City of Siletz, a request was made to the governing agency, Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB), to take action to eliminate the use of gasoline outboard motors above the public water intakes.  The Lincoln County Board of Commissioner sent a letter to OSMB supporting the request to close the upper Siletz River above Mill Park site. (allowing for other uses to continue).  Other supporting letters were sent in from the City of Siletz, Confederated Tribe of the Siletz Indians, City of Newport, City of Toledo, Midcoast Watersheds Council, Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District, The Siletz Watershed Council, ODFW, the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, and the Oregon State Department of Environmental Quality.

On April 7, 2008 the request by the City of Siletz to consider restricting use of gasoline boat motors upstream of the drinking water intakes was denied by the Marine Board.

By signing this petition you value safe clean drinking water and you petition the Oregon State Marine Board to immediately grant the request of the City of Siletz to eliminate gas boat motor use above the public water intakes for the cities of Siletz, Newport, Toledo and Seal Rock.