This coming Monday, May 19th at 6:00 pm at Newport City Hall the City Council will have a regular scheduled meeting and on agenda for action is a consideration of an agreement with Georgia Pacific for use of rights-of-way for thier treated effluent pipeline. The effluent pipeline runs through the city of Newport approximately 3 miles and the primary outfall of the mill is located 3,800 feet off Nye Beach. The facility releases an average of 11 million gallons a day of treated wastewater in the vicinity of important recreational areas and fishing grounds (see photo). To view the city's draft license agreement, click on the link at the bottom of this post. The Newport Chapter of Surfrider Foundation submitted a report last month to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) with formal recommendations for strengthening the wastewater permit of the Georgia Pacific Pulp and Paper Mill in Toledo. The report is intended to support DEQs ongoing reconsideration of the Georgia Pacific permit, and bring the agency closer to compliance with state and federal laws that protect water quality. Some of the reports recommendations focus on the need for enhanced monitoring of marine species and the nearshore environment near the mills ocean outfall. Other recommendations provide guidance and data resources for improving scientific analyses used to evaluate potential ecological and public health impacts. Back in September 2006, Surfrider and four other organizations formally petitioned DEQ to reconsider the terms of the NPDES wastewater permit of the Georgia Pacific mill. DEQ accepted the Petition on October 18th, 2006 and has been working to complete the reconsideration since then. Sufriders Environmental Issues Team has recently met with DEQ staff on this issue and is committed to providing constructive input to support the reconsideration process.
License Agreement: 0501308Agreementclean.DOC
Surfrider Report to DEQ:
Surfrider_ScienceBasedRecommendations_GP_Mill_NPDES_Final.pdf

Great job by youth volunteers for their awesome presentation to city council. I've already recieved emails from the city attorney working to draft the water quality ordinance recommendations that the kids presented. Way to go Nye A.R.M.S! We're all so impressed and proud of you!

Rosemont Ridge 7th graders from West Linn lined up to spell "PLASTIC" at South Beach Jetty after picking up over 21,00 tiny pieces of plastic in an area roughly the size of a footbal field in about an hour. Armed with bags from SOLV for a beach cleanup, the 130 students and volunteers met up with the Newport Chapter of Surfrider Foundation, who directed the focus of the cleanup on small pieces of plastics in a small sandy area near the jetty. The cleanup helped kick off Oregon Chapters' rise above plastics educational initiative to raise awareness of the dangers plastics impose on our marine wildlife and beaches in Oregon. In addition to cleaning up the beach, the students were able to help raise money for their Sparrow Club Organization which benefits a fellow student through their participation in community service hours.