The 2018/2020 Integrated Report was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Nov. 12, 2020 and is now current and in effect. The federal Clean Water Act requires Oregon to report on the quality of its surface waters every two years. Although not a written report, the Integrated Report is a reporting of the status of water quality in Oregon and a list of waters considered to be impaired.
The Integrated Report can be accessed in four ways:- An interactive story map provides an overview of the water quality assessment process and displays results in terms of supporting beneficial uses.
- An interactive web map application displays the Integrated Report by overall status of an assessment unit. For example, if an assessment unit is classified as impaired, one or more assessed pollutants do not meet the interpretation of water quality standards outlined in the methodology. The application also provides all applicable Water Quality Standards and TMDL information.
- An online searchable database that provides categorical assessment conclusions for all assessed parameters.
- An ArcGIS 10.5 Assessment Geodatabase spatially displays information from Oregon's 2018/2020 Integrated Report. This database also includes a layer that spatially displays DEQ's Water Quality Standards.
Raw data used in Oregon's 2018/2020 Integrated Report can also be accessed through DEQ's Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Portal.
More information2018/2020 Submittal Documents2018/2020 Approval DocumentsMethodologyThe public comment period for the draft methodology closed on June 28, 2018.
The call for data closed on July 25, 2018. In all, DEQ evaluated over 6.5 million data points from 74 organizations for the draft Integrated Report.
In 2016, DEQ undertook a major effort to update and improve the Integrated Report process, addressing longstanding issues, and increasing accessibility. DEQ will be updating the assessment methodology for every cycle, which is typically every two years. For information on its 2022 proposed methodology updates, please see the 2022 Integrated Report page coming soon.
BackgroundThe federal Clean Water Act requires the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to assess Oregon's water quality and prepare a report every two years. The Integrated Report is a database report that combines reporting information for the Clean Water Act Section 305(b) assessment of all water bodies and the Section 303(d) list of water bodies that do not meet water quality standards. The 303(d) list represents where pollution reduction plans called Total Maximum Daily Loads are needed.
The 2018/2020, Integrated Report represents the state's most comprehensive evaluation of water quality data and information about Oregon's waters. DEQ assessed this data and information to determine whether Oregon's waters contain pollutants at levels that exceed protective water quality standards and do not support their beneficial uses. To complete this assessment, DEQ reviewed and assessed readily available data and information for the time period Jan. 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2017, using the Methodology for Oregon's 2018 Water Quality Report and List of Water Quality Limited Waters.
The 2018/2020 Integrated Report categorizes all assessed waterbodies. DEQ evaluated data on whether Oregon's waters are of a high enough quality to meet the most common beneficial uses, such as supporting aquatic life, providing drinking water or supporting recreation. Waterbodies that exceed protective water quality standards are identified as impaired and placed on the 303(d) list. Identifying a waterbody as impaired initiates the prioritization and development of a TMDL.