Drift Creek @ Gorton Road

Lincoln City, Oregon

Managed by Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council

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

This sinuous section of Drift Creek rolls through the floodplain near head of tide. Sample site is in an agrarian landscape just upstream of a section of the important Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

"Established in 1991 with a donation of 46 acres of tidal salt marsh, the purpose of this refuge is to protect and enhance estuarine fish and wildlife resources and their habitats.

"Now encompassing 568 acres, Siletz Bay features salt marsh, brackish marsh, tidal sloughs, mudflats, and coniferous and deciduous forestland. The refuge provides nursery grounds for Coho and Chinook Salmon, Steelhead and Cutthroat Trout, and other anadromous species. The primary ecological goal for the refuge is to allow the salt marsh to return to its natural state of twice-daily tidal inundation."

Learn More at: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/siletz_bay/

Get directions to this beach

COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

No data available
Current 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 August 14th, 2018 at 6:30 PM.

For water quality icon legend, click:

Report Pollution

Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council (SDCWC) has been collecting water samples since 2006. Water samples are collected by the Watershed Council with the help of volunteers. The Water Quality Program Manager oversees and coordinates the sampling and analysis along providing training to new volunteers.

Samples are processed using the IDEXX system. The water at the sample sites are tested for E.coli (freshwater) or Enterococcus (ocean or estuary) as well as dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, specific conductance, and turbidity. 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.

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

Monitoring Status: SDCWC follows Oregon’s standard for the monitoring of its recreational waters. This does not include such uses as shell fish harvesting and thus the results are not protective or to be used for gauging the safety of harvesting or commercial cultivation of clams or other species. That value is limited to 14 Fecal coliform bacteria per 100ml.

E. coli
A beach is marked GREEN when single sample results are less than 406 cfu per 100 mL and when applicable, a 90-day geometric mean is less than 126 cfu per 100 mL).
A beach is marked RED when a single sample exceeds 406 or the 90 day geometric average exceeds 126.

Enterococcus
A beach is marked GREEN when a single sample is less than 130 organisms per 100 ml.
A beach is marked RED when a single sample is greater than 130 organisms per 100ml.
This level is set by the Beach Action Value established by Oregon Health Authority in 2017.
A beach is marked Grey if there is no current results or no available information.

SDCWC is currently supported by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, 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.

Links:

Freshwater Bacteria Limit: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-02/documents/wqs-oregon-bacteria-epa-approval-11-17-2017.pdf

Beach Action Value: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/HEALTHYENVIRONMENTS/RECREATION/BEACHWATERQUALITY/Pages/beachactionvalue.aspx

Oregon Bacteria Rule, Bacteria Criteria for Marine and Estuarine Waters (For reference only as some values are outdated): https://www.oregon.gov/deq/Filtered%20Library/IMDBacteria.pdf

Water Quality Graph