The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is responsible for restoring, maintaining and enhancing the quality of Oregon's waterways and groundwater. Several
DEQ water quality programs are in place to reduce and prevent nutrient pollution in Oregon waters. Nutrient pollution occurs where too many nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, are added to bodies of water and disrupt aquatic plant growth and dissolved oxygen levels needed for healthy waters.
DEQ's Water Quality Division is developing a statewide, science-based nutrient reduction strategy to better address and prevent harm to Oregon's waterways and groundwater from excessive nutrients from a wide range of human activities. The purpose of the strategy is to provide a long-term roadmap to prioritize DEQ's program activities and resources as it relates to the prevention and reduction of nutrient pollution from both
point and nonpoint sources.
This strategy will build on current DEQ efforts and focus on actions to improve the effectiveness of programs that are already in place. DEQ be reaching out to hear the concerns, needs, and interests of Oregonians, partner agencies, and communities impacted by excess nutrient pollution to inform the priorities and actions included in the strategy.
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To inform the Nutrient Reduction Strategy, DEQ is partnering Oregon's Kitchen Table, a program under the National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University. Oregon's Kitchen Table specializes in community engagement, with a particular focus on community members who have been left out of traditional public decision-making processes.
DEQ worked with Oregon's Kitchen Table from February to April 2025 to gather input from community members and other interested parties impacted by nutrient pollution. Over 1,000 people in Oregon shared what they think about water quality issues related to excess nutrients. DEQ will use this input to guide the development of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
In June 2025, Oregon's Kitchen Table hosted three virtual community forums. During these sessions, they shared what they had heard so far and engaged participants from diverse backgrounds and regions across Oregon in discussions about how those insights could shape the development of the strategy.
Drawing on the outcomes from all outreach activities, Oregon's Kitchen Table has completed a final report summarizing the community engagement findings. The full report and a report summary are both available on the Oregon's Kitchen Table website. DEQ will use these results to inform the development of our Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
DEQ, following a competitive Request for Proposal process, has selected Tetra Tech to assist in developing DEQ's Nutrient Reduction Strategy. This strategy will build on existing DEQ programs, incorporate best practices, and be reflective of knowledge and perspectives of other relevant state agencies and interested parties. Tetra Tech will bring both relevant experience and innovative solutions to support the project's success.
Tetra Tech's tasks in developing the strategy will include:
- Evaluation of DEQ's current programs and efforts to identify what is effective and any gaps in DEQ's water quality programs for achieving nutrient pollution reductions. This will include reviewing existing DEQ programs and actions and gathering inputs from interested parties.
- Developing recommended actions to address the identified gaps.
- Developing a strategy that will be a roadmap to guide DEQ's implementation of actions and priorities outlined in the nutrient strategy.
Tetra Tech and DEQ look forward to engaging with various interested parties in this effort. Partner agency input will also be vital to ensure the strategy reflects the best available knowledge and on-the-ground experience. DEQ will share additional details as outreach plans are finalized.
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