Milwaukie will publish a compendium of existing Willamette water‑quality data; staff recommends against launching its own routine testing program
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Summary
City staff advised against the city starting routine recreational water testing for Milwaukee Bay Park; instead councilors asked staff to publish a compendium of existing regional data and to evaluate a narrowly scoped supplemental test if needed.
The Milwaukie City Council on Nov. 4 directed staff to assemble a public web page compiling existing water‑quality data for the Willamette River near Milwaukee Bay Park rather than start a new city‑run recreational sampling program.
Climate & Natural Resources Manager Katie Gavars told council staff recommended against launching routine city sampling because the work would duplicate existing regional monitoring, carry regulatory risk for the city’s NPDES/stormwater program, and require ongoing laboratory and staff capacity. Gavars estimated an in‑house seasonal program would cost roughly $10,000–$15,000 to collect and process weekly E. coli samples over a recreational season; contracting a consultant and laboratory would be more expensive.
Gavars and other staff noted several existing programs already collect relevant data: Portland’s “Check the Rec” program (managed by Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services) samples multiple sites for E. coli during the summer; Water Environment Services (WES) and the U.S. Geological Survey also maintain monitoring stations and reports. Staff cautioned that publishing a single discrete sample could unintentionally imply a broad safety certification for the river and could create public expectations the city cannot legally or technically guarantee.
Councilors and public commenters said they wanted better public access to water‑quality information and to reduce the stigma that the Willamette is unsafe to use. Resident advocates argued periodic reporting would reassure families and encourage equitable access to waterfront recreation. After discussion the council gave staff two clear tasks: (1) create a public web page on the city website that aggregates and links to existing monitoring (Portland BES, WES, USGS) and explains limitations and benchmarks; and (2) return to council with a staff recommendation if there is a narrowly defined one‑time or limited supplemental test that would meaningfully fill a data gap without creating undue expectations or regulatory exposure.
No new long‑term sampling program or budget appropriation was approved at the Nov. 4 meeting.
