effect to the water quality. Listed are 

 Uo6 food industries (canneries with process- 

 ing plants, breweries and meat products), 

 19 pulp or pulp and paper mills, 25 lumber 

 products (waste wood, glue, etc.)> 7 primary 

 metal (chemical wastes from processing), &k 

 chemical and mining (ore processing and 

 recovery), 17 textile (wood and flax), 5 

 fabricated metal (metal treating wastes), 

 6 petroleum and coal processing (chemical 

 and orgEuaic wastes ) , and 25 miscellaneous 

 indiistries such as rendering works and aimao- 

 nia plants. Table 3'^' shows these industries 

 with organic wastes to have an estimated 

 population equivalent (based on the bio- 

 chemical oxygen demand ) of over 9 million 

 persons or over 6 times that of the sewered 

 population. Altogether, there is at present 

 an oxygen demand on the river system ccm- 

 parable to domestic sewage discharged from 

 about U million persons. Fran the indus- 

 trial waste standpoint, the pulp and paper 

 mills are by far the most significant con- 

 tributors . 



An analysis of water quality data 

 shows that these pollutants have had no 

 serious overall effect on the water qusdity 

 of the Columbia River itself. Pulp mill 

 discharges have produced heavy Sphaerotilus 

 sp., (a filamentous bacteria, producing 

 masses of slimy floe -like material) growths 

 below Camas that clog the nets of fishermen. 

 This study did not include localized effects 

 on water quality in the Immediate vicinity 

 of waste discharges. A few of the Columbia 

 River tributeuries have dissolved oxygen 

 deficiencies. This is in the late summer 

 when stream flows are low, water tempera- 

 tures are high, biological life is flourish- 

 ing and when organic pollutants are near 

 maximum. The most significant of these 

 observed was the Willamette River in the 

 vicinity of Portland where dissolved oxygen 

 concentrations of less than 3 p. p.m. were 

 observed in late August. No other serious 

 dissolved oxygen deficiencies were observed 

 in any of the streams. 



Future conditions : 



The prediction of future changes in 

 the Columbia River Basin is, of course, 

 subject to many variables and to a very wide 

 interpretation of the effects of these 

 vEuriables. General etssumptionsmade in pre- 

 dicting these future conditions are as 

 follows : 



1. That the major multipurpose water 

 developments on the river system 

 will have been well consimiated by 

 the year 2000. 



2. That the basin population will 

 continue to grow in proportion to 

 the remainder of the Pswiific North- 

 west. 



3. That the industrial develojment 

 of the beisin will continue with 

 more rigid controls on waste dis- 

 charges than in the past and that 

 many industries presently dis- 

 charging strong wastes will have 

 these WEiste strengths and volumes 

 greatly reduced. 



k. That no dams will be built on the 

 Columbia River below Bonneville 

 Dam. 



5. That the principal aie&B of indus- 

 trial concentration will be in the 

 Portland-Vancouver-Longview and 

 Pasco-Richland-Kennewick vicini- 

 ties with a somewhat lower concen- 

 tz^tion in the Wenatchee and 

 Canadian portions of the Columbia 

 River. The prlncipatl tributaries 

 with industrial developments Join 

 the Columbia River in these areas. 

 They are the Willamette, Snake and 

 Yakima Rivers. The Spokane River 

 will have its Industrial and 

 domestic waste loads minimized by 

 its 75 miles flow to the Grand 

 Coulee Reservoir itself. 



6. That water pollution control 

 authorities will prevent the dis- 

 charge of any toxic, highly alka- 

 line or highly acidic wastes to 

 the streams. 



7- That sewage treatment plants dis- 

 charging to the beusin streams will 

 be providing an average biochemi- 

 cal oxygen demand reduction of 65^. 



8. That all domestic sewage dicharged 

 in the basin will receive either 

 primary or secondary treatment 

 with the majority being secondary 

 (a more ccmplete treatment than 

 prlmarj^. 



91 



