This creative nonfiction thesis tells a story of how water turns into waste. With Portland, Oregon as a base, the reader visits a wastewater treatment plant, several buried and lost streams, a high-tech sewage processor, stormwater education classes, a stormwater management conference, several "green" streets, sewage construction zones, and sewage-related parks. The thesis explores how Western sewage systems came to be, and how wastewater management might change in the future.

Streamflow variability can provide valuable information for nonpoint source pollution monitoring program planning. The research papers presented in this thesis examine selected properties of streamflow variability in Oregon to advance its application in regional planning of water quality monitoring programs. The products of this research depict Oregon streams by their relative streamflow variability and evaluate factors that may influence that variability. The three manuscripts examine the application of streamflow variability in the context of regional strategic planning by addressing three related questions: 1.) What is the relationship in Oregon between streamflow variability and watershed size, which is often described as a proxy for streamflow variability?, 2.) What geographic factors in Oregon influence streamflow variability, and are regionalscale factors adequate to efficiently predict streamflow variability on ungaged streams?, and 3.) How is streamflow variability in Oregon affected by seasonal climatic variation? Examination of these questions regarding the behavior of streamflow variability of river systems in Oregon is used to assist in the design of regional and local water quality monitoring programs. Data are from historical records of established US Geological Survey gaging stations. Simple linear regression depicts the relationship of streamflow variability to basin size on a statewide basis and stratified by ecoregions. The results indicate that basin area is not an appropriate indicator of streamflow variability. Multiple regression is used to develop regional models of streamflow variability. Three models are developed for natural flow streams and streams with upstream diversions. Regional and watershed scale variables are evaluated for their potential contributions to the models. Watershed scale variables do not increase the predictive capacity of the models; therefore, the regional scale is appropriate for efficiently modeling streamflow variability. Seasonal investigation of streamflow variability in Oregon develops its application for seasonal monitoring programs. Spatial and temporal analysis reveal a weak relationship between annual and monthly streamflow variability, indicating potential for refined application of the variability index. Streamflow variability is an accessible tool for developing water quality monitoring programs. The regional scale distribution of streamflow variability in Oregon demonstrates the ease at which streamflow variability may be estimated on ungaged streams. / Graduation date: 1998

Precipitation changes and urban growth are two factors altering the state of water quality. Changes in precipitation will alter the amount and timing of flows, and the corresponding sediment and nutrient dynamics. Meanwhile, densification associated with urban growth will create more impervious surfaces which will alter sediment and nutrient loadings. Land and water managers often rely on models to develop possible future scenarios and devise management responses to these projected changes. We use the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to assess the sensitivities of stream flow, sediment, and nutrient loads in two urbanizing watersheds in Northwest Oregon, USA to various climate and urbanization scenarios. We evaluate the spatial patterns climate change and urban growth will have on water, sediment and nutrient yields. We also identify critical source areas (CSAs) and investigate how implementation of vegetative filter strips (VFS) could ameliorate the effects of these changes. Our findings suggest that: 1) Water yield is tightly coupled to precipitation. 2) Large increases in winter and spring precipitation provide enough sub-surface storage to increase summertime water yields despite a moderate decrease in summer precipitation. 3) Expansion of urban areas increases surface runoff and has mixed effects on sediment and nutrients. 4) Implementation of VFS reduces pollutant loads helping overall watershed health. This research demonstrates the usefulness of SWAT in facilitating informed land and water management decisions.

Efforts to abate Willamette River pollution between 1926 and 1962 centered on a struggle between abatement advocates and the two primary polluters in the watershed, the City of Portland and the pulp and paper industry. Throughout the twentieth century, the Willamette was by far the most heavily populated and industrialized watershed in Oregon. Like many other of the world's rivers, the Willamette was an integral part of municipal and industrial waste removal systems. As such, the main stem of the river carried the combined wastes from sewage outfalls serving hundreds of thousands of people and millions of gallons daily of pulp and paper making effluents. Exacerbating the impacts of these pollutants on the Willamette were unavoidable geologic and hydrologic constraints impacting the river's flow and, therefore, the river's ability to dilute wastes. As the pollution load in the Willamette River increased throughout the twentieth century, accustomed activities such as recreation, sports fishing, and commercial fishing, were constrained. The polluted water also threatened potential uses of the river, such as tourism and expanded recreation after World War II. To address these concerns, beginning in 1926 clean streams advocates created ad hoc groups of public health experts, sanitary engineers, conservationists, sportsmen, and others to pressure Portland officials and industry representatives to cease polluting the river. In November 1938, continued activism and lobbying from these groups led to the passage of a citizen's initiative creating the Oregon State Sanitary Authority (OSSA). From 1939 to 1962, the OSSA took the lead in the water pollution abatement issue and realized some limited successes including pushing Portland and other cities to build sewage treatment plants and regulating pulp and paper mill discharges. However, in spite of these accomplishments, the issue of water quality grew more complex and difficult through the 1950s, as reflected in Tom McCall's November 1962 television documentary Pollution in Paradise.