09/10/2026
🌧 How does stormwater effect our watersheds in North Clackamas? We are hosting a walking tour on October 1st in Milwaukie where we will dive into this question and explore some of the creative stormwater solutions that are already being implemented there! You can sign up for the tour on our website (linked below) and keep reading to learn about one of the ways stormwater can impact stream health!
Many of us are used to seeing stormwater infrastructure like these rain gardens in downtown Milwaukie, but we don’t often think about how important they are to the health of our watersheds and especially our local fish populations. Here’s a step-by-step on why:
Step 1: Rain (or snow, or hail) falls. It’s known to do that a lot around here! As water collects on roads, roofs, lawns, and all other surfaces, it begins flowing together. This is called stormwater.
Step 2: On the surfaces of our roads, stormwater mixes together with tiny particles of tires that are shed through the standard wear and tear from driving vehicles. These particles are called 6ppd-quinone, or 6ppdq for short.
Step 3: Often, this stormwater flows directly off of roads and other surfaces straight into waterways, where the 6ppdq incorporates into the ecosystems of streams. Here, aquatic species are exposed to this compound. Some trout and salmon species are poorly affected by this exposure, with coho salmon often experiencing high rates of mortality after just 3 hours of exposure to low levels of 6ppdq.
This is one reason why stormwater infrastructure is so important for our watersheds in North Clackamas! During rainfall, systems like bioswales and rain gardens can collect large amounts of stormwater and effectively filter out the majority of 6ppdq particles, before the stormwater either seeps into the ground or is directed into waterways.
https://ncwatersheds.org/get-involved-with-the-council/volunteer/
