Oregon Department of Agriculture Strategic Implementation Areas

  • Evaluating conditions on agricultural lands in the SIA
  • Engaging landowners on what can be improved
  • Monitoring water quality to show improvement

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is working to improve agricultural water quality in the state by creating Strategic Implementation Areas (SIA). This approach focuses on areas where agricultural water quality must be improved to protect public water sources.

Currently, there are two SIAs in the Coquille Basin. The Lower Coquille SIA includes the Coquille River between Bandon and Coquille and its major tributaries (Lampa Creek and Bear Creek). The water quality concerns here are insufficient riparian vegetation to keep water cool and bacteria pollution from livestock. The Lower North Fork and East Fork SIA includes the North Fork Coquille River and its tributaries between Myrtle Point and Fairview and the East Fork Coquille River and its tributaries up through Dora. The main water quality concern is livestock on riverbanks and in the water contributing to bacteria and sediment pollution. A major motivation for the creation of the Lower North Fork and East Fork SIA is to protect the drinking water source for the City of Myrtle Point. Coos SWCD staff have conducted significant water quality monitoring in both strategic implementation areas, and have baseline data that will be used to help design future projects, and allow for a trageted approach to improving water quality in the Coquille Basin. 

Fortunately, most landowners in the SIAs are in compliance with agricultural water quality rules. However, if ODA has contacted you about water quality concerns on your land, please reach out to Coos Soil and Water Conservation District. We are a resource for voluntary conservation, and we have worked with several landowners in both SIAs to improve water quality on their land. Coos SWCD staff will apply for grant funding to pay for most or all of the water quality improvements, and we design everything with the input and approval of the landowner.

If you live within one of the SIAs and would like help with water quality improvements, contact Caley Sowers at (541) 396-6879 or email her at info@coosswcd.org

 

A grassy field with a few cows, muddy patches, puddles of water, and trees in the background under a cloudy sky.
A group of cows stands in a grassy field, with one brown calf among several black cows in a rural setting.
A person stands in a grassy area surrounded by tall grass and bushes under a cloudy sky. Nature is prominent in the scene.
A lush green field surrounded by trees and shrubs, with a wooden gate and a power pole in the background under a cloudy sky.
A solar-powered device on a post in a field, surrounded by tall grass and nearby trees, likely part of a monitoring system.
A grassy field with a few cows, muddy patches, puddles of water, and trees in the background under a cloudy sky.
A group of cows stands in a grassy field, with one brown calf among several black cows in a rural setting.
A person stands in a grassy area surrounded by tall grass and bushes under a cloudy sky. Nature is prominent in the scene.
A lush green field surrounded by trees and shrubs, with a wooden gate and a power pole in the background under a cloudy sky.
A solar-powered device on a post in a field, surrounded by tall grass and nearby trees, likely part of a monitoring system.