The Siletz Watershed Council will be holding our quarterly community meeting on Tuesday, September 20th at 6:30PM at the Siletz Public library. Light refreshments will be provided.

At the meeting, we will be discussing the decision by the Lincoln City sewage treatment plant to stop spreading Class B biosolids in the Siletz area. Class B biosolids are nutrient-rich organic solids that are derived from the treatment of wastewater at municipal wastewater facilities. Once biosolids have been treated, they can be used for land application on farm fields. The concern has long been for the potential impacts of this use on water quality. John Sullivan, a longtime member of Siletz Watershed Council, will be sharing his experience over the last 20 years trying to curtail this use. John is a local landowner, concerned with the health of the river, his family and his neighbors. He understands that keeping the Siletz clean is not a strictly local concern; the cities of Newport, Toledo, Siletz and the Seal Rock Water District all rely on drinking water from the Siletz River.

Evan Hayduk, Restoration Specialist with the MidCoast Watersheds Council, will also provide an update on the placement of large woody debris in Mill Creek. The project was recently completed, placing over 600 logs in 7.5 miles of Mill Creek and its tributaries. However, the work is far from over. Now, an extensive effectiveness monitoring project will begin aimed at assessing the changes to streams when large wood placement occurs.

Una Monaghan, newly hired Watershed Technical Specialist with the Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District, will be on hand to provide details on upcoming LSWCD projects in the Siletz basin. We will also cover council business, community announcements and provide time for anyone else who would like to ask questions or provide comments.