Water Quality Trading
What is The Freshwater Trust doing here?
Within the upper Willamette basin, climate change and human activities have negatively impacted the water, causing rising water temperatures and poor water quality. One way to address poor water quality is to instigate water quality trading programs.
Simply put, a water quality trading program allows businesses and municipalities to take responsibility for negative environmental outputs caused by their services and do something to mitigate them.
For example, wastewater facilities often release cleaned and treated water into the river, which increases the river's temperature. To mitigate this impact, the facility could enter into a water quality trading program contract to fund environmental actions that will help lower the river’s temperature.
Working with regional partners, The Freshwater Trust (TFT) started its third water quality trading program in the upper Willamette basin. TFT conducted analyses to determine the most effective nature-based actions to lower water temperatures, including planting trees and vegetation. Next, TFT prioritized which sites to plant to block out the most solar heat from warming the river.
While regional partners have done most of the on-the-ground planting, TFT has been instrumental in analyses, landowner outreach, program design, management, and contract development with participating private landowners.
Why is this important?
It’s crucial that we find ways to keep our economy strong while also protecting the environment and our resources. Nature-based actions, like planting trees and vegetation along rivers, effectively lower water temperatures, safeguard riverbanks from erosion, improve habitat for fish and wildlife, and create an aesthetically pleasing river for recreational purposes.
Additionally, water quality trading programs prioritizing nature-based conservation actions are often more economical. In comparison, while building and maintaining equipment that can help lower water temperatures is possible, such actions tend to be much more costly upfront and long-term than nature-based actions.
How can you support these efforts?
One key way to support our efforts is through donations. TFT ensures that every dollar you give delivers measurable results that will make a difference in a timeline that matters. You can make a one-time gift or become a regular monthly donor today.
You can also support us by staying connected through our regular newsletter and emails. Sign up today to get the latest TFT news.
Following our social media accounts and sharing our posts with friends, family, and colleagues can also help support freshwater conservation and get more people involved.
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Want to take a deeper dive?
Check out these resources to learn about water quality trading and related work in the upper Willamette basin.
