Benefits of water cleanup plans Water cleanup plans are tools that help protect water-dependent resources. In the Willapa, these resources include salmon, oysters, boat-building and attracting tourism that depends on clean, cool water for a healthy watershed. The Willapa, like many Washington rivers, faces potential endangered species listings for salmon. Water quality will be a key component to salmon recovery in the Willapa. A water cleanup plan determines the largest amount of specific pollutants a particular stream, lake, bay or other water body can receive and still meet water quality standards.
Ecology sets water quality standards to ensure that beneficial uses of the waters are met.
Beneficial uses include water for industry, agriculture and recreation, as well as water for drinking and for fish habitat. Ecology has conducted many other water cleanup plans across the state. How the water cleanup plan is working Water cleanup planning begins with detailed monitoring that includes a schedule, monitoring locations, water quality parameters to be measured by field work or laboratory analysis, and procedures to ensure that the best possible quality of data is collected. The Willapa River water cleanup plan called for 12 sampling surveys to be conducted from April through December 1998. The surveys counted fecal coliform bacteria levels, and larger surveys in May, August, September and November measured dissolved oxygen.