Managing seafood processing wastewater on the Oregon Coast
Subtitle: a time of transition
By: submitted by Maiya Anderson, J. Ronald Miner (Bioresource Engineering Department, Oregon State University) ; for Oregon Sea Grant.
Contributors: Miner, J. Ronald.; Oregon State University. Dept Of Bioresource Engineering.; Oregon State University. Sea Grant College Program.
Series: AD-a359 084
Publisher: Oregon Sea Grant
Published: 1997
Place of publication: [Corvallis, Or
Language: eng
Number of pages: 103
Subjects: Fishery processing industries -- Waste disposal -- Oregon.
Description: Seafood processors along the Oregon coast practice a wastewater management plan that is unique within the state. Most of these operations discharge wastewater under a General Permit issued by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) that requires only that they screen the wastewater to remove particles that will not pass through a 40 mesh screen. The General Permit was issued in February of 1992 and was scheduled to expire at the end of December, 1996. It has been extended until a replacement is adopted. Alternatives are currently under consideration by the DEQ. A second issue is the increasing competition for water within the coastal communities that are experiencing a growing tourist industry and a static water supply. Tourism and seafood processing both have their peak water demands during the summer months when fresh water supplies are most limited. Disposal of solid wastes has been simplified for many of the processors along the Lower Columbia River by a Fisheries Enhancement Program which allows processors to grind the solid waste then to discharge it into the stream under appropriate tidal conditions. There is no data which indicates water quality damage from this practice nor is there clear evidence of enhanced fishery productivity.
Notes: Major report.

"December 1997."