Collins Beach, Sauvie Island

Portland, Oregon
Managed by Columbia Riverkeeper

The secret spot for Portland’s outdoor enthusiasts is actually an island on the Columbia River, just to the north of the city. Sauvie Island offers plentiful wildlife amongst an agricultural community that is littered with recreation opportunities. Sandy beaches along Sauvie’s western shore become a favorite spot for swimmers in the summer. Collins Beach is surrounded by a 12,000 acre fish and game reserve giving the beach a wild and private feel. For this reason, the beach is also a partly clothing-optional area, so be prepared for a surprise.

Get directions to this beach
Water Quality
  • Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time

  • Historical Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 9th, 2019. Columbia Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 10th, 2019 at 8:03 PM.
For water quality icon legend, click:  
Current Weather
8°C
Clear
  • Report Pollution
Monitoring Frequency

Collins Beach, Sauvie Island is sampled bi-weekly from May 1st from October 1st.

Source Information

The Oregon state water quality standard provides that a single sample shall not exceed 406 E.coli colonies/100 mL of water and the geometric mean of 5 samples within 30 days shall not exceed 126 colonies/100 mL. The EPA recommended standard is more protective and provides that a single sample shall not exceed 235 colonies/100mL and the geometric mean of 5 samples within 30 days shall not exceed 126 colonies/100mL. The Swim Guide will utilize the EPA standard for Oregon beaches.

There is currently very limited water quality monitoring of Oregon's inland swim beaches. The federal Beach Act does not cover freshwater or riverine beaches, and the state of Oregon does not monitor swim beaches or recreation sites on the Columbia. Columbia Riverkeeper monitors recreation sites in the Columbia River Gorge through their Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program. Most sites are sampled monthly and high priority sites are sampled weekly from June-September.The Swim Guide's safety ratings are based solely on E.coli levels. While E.coli concentration is a useful indicator of fecal contamination, there are many other potential sources of pollution that are not reflected in the Swim Guide. These include other bacteria, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides that may harm aquatic life. On the Columbia and other salmon rivers, high temperatures threaten fish that need cold water. If you are interested in getting involved or learning more about the Columbia River, visit www.columbiariverkeeper.org.

Water Quality Graph

Collins Beach, Sauvie Island

Portland, Oregon
Managed by Columbia Riverkeeper
Water Quality
  • Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
  • Historical Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 9th, 2019. Columbia Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 10th, 2019 at 8:03 PM.
For water quality icon legend, click:  
Current Weather
8°C
Clear

The secret spot for Portland’s outdoor enthusiasts is actually an island on the Columbia River, just to the north of the city. Sauvie Island offers plentiful wildlife amongst an agricultural community that is littered with recreation opportunities. Sandy beaches along Sauvie’s western shore become a favorite spot for swimmers in the summer. Collins Beach is surrounded by a 12,000 acre fish and game reserve giving the beach a wild and private feel. For this reason, the beach is also a partly clothing-optional area, so be prepared for a surprise.

Get directions to this beach
  • Report Pollution
Monitoring Frequency

Collins Beach, Sauvie Island is sampled bi-weekly from May 1st from October 1st.

Source Information

The Oregon state water quality standard provides that a single sample shall not exceed 406 E.coli colonies/100 mL of water and the geometric mean of 5 samples within 30 days shall not exceed 126 colonies/100 mL. The EPA recommended standard is more protective and provides that a single sample shall not exceed 235 colonies/100mL and the geometric mean of 5 samples within 30 days shall not exceed 126 colonies/100mL. The Swim Guide will utilize the EPA standard for Oregon beaches.

There is currently very limited water quality monitoring of Oregon's inland swim beaches. The federal Beach Act does not cover freshwater or riverine beaches, and the state of Oregon does not monitor swim beaches or recreation sites on the Columbia. Columbia Riverkeeper monitors recreation sites in the Columbia River Gorge through their Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program. Most sites are sampled monthly and high priority sites are sampled weekly from June-September.The Swim Guide's safety ratings are based solely on E.coli levels. While E.coli concentration is a useful indicator of fecal contamination, there are many other potential sources of pollution that are not reflected in the Swim Guide. These include other bacteria, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides that may harm aquatic life. On the Columbia and other salmon rivers, high temperatures threaten fish that need cold water. If you are interested in getting involved or learning more about the Columbia River, visit www.columbiariverkeeper.org.

Water Quality Graph

  Beach Location Water Quality
Vancouver, Washington
Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Vancouver, Washington
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