Schooner Creek @ Highway 101 Bridge

Lincoln City, Oregon

Managed by Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council

Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council Launches new online service for Water Quality Data

Named for a type of boat (a schooner) that reportedly lies wrecked under the sands of the bay, Schooner Creek flows into Siletz Bay in the Taft area of Lincoln City, Oregon. Locals know the prominent rock outcroppings in the bay by the name of "the Four Brothers", which collectively serve as the gateway to Lincoln City from the south. The area as a whole is a hub of activities. Siletz Bay provides a wealth of recreational opportunities including crabbing, clamming, kayaking, wading, and for the intrepid ~ kite surfing. The Taft Beach along SW 51st Street hosts the annual Sand Castle Contest each August and is the spot for the 4th of July Fireworks each summer as well. Learn more at www.taftbeach.com.

WATER QUALITY

No data available
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on August 14th, 2018. Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at

For water quality icon legend, click:

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MONITORING FREQUENCY

SOURCE INFORMATION

The outfall for each of these water bodies is ultimately the Pacific Ocean, and thus impacts to the beach water quality may be a result of upstream activities.
Water samples are collected by the Watershed Council with the help of volunteers. The Water Quality Program Manager oversees and coordinates with all the volunteers, and provides training to new volunteers.

Samples are processed using the IDEXX system. The water at the bathing beaches are tested for E.coli, as well as dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, specific conductance, and turbidity.

The monitoring program is variable based on funding and resources. As results become available they are shared on Swim Guide.

Water Quality Data are compared to state and federal standards as part of a baseline monitoring program. SDCWC does not issue any advisories, but information is available for public's use.

Monitoring Status
SDCWC follows Oregon’s standard for the monitoring of its recreational waters. The 30 day standard is > 126 cfu / 100 ml or any one sample (STV) at > 406 cfu /100ml. Effectively a swim site will be posted based on the single sample criteria of 406 E.coli/100ml. The 90 day segment is still only proposed and has not to my understanding been adopted.

E. coli
A beach is marked Green when two consecutive single sample results are under an STV of 406 cfu per 100 mL (and where applicable, a geometric mean of 126 cfu per 100 mL)

A beach is marked Red when five consecutive single sample results in a 30 day period are equal to or above an STV of 406 cfu per 100 mL (and where applicable, a geometric mean of 126 cfu per 100 mL)

A beach is marked Grey if there is no current results or no available information.

SDCWC is currently supported by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Surfrider Blue Water Task Force, and Neighbors For Kids in Depoe Bay, Oregon where their bacteria lab resides.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH