Monitoring of the Amazon Creek Basin by the city of Eugene under the city’s Clean Water Act permit for urban stormwater discharges during 2011-2012 shows a decreasing trend for about 77 percent of indicators, though water quality standards for various pollutants are still exceeded in the basin. For copper, 30 percent of samples exceeded the relevant water quality standard by up to seven times. Vehicle brake pads are a primary source of copper in water, and a 2010 California law addresses this issue by requiring brake pad manufacturers to begin phasing out the use of copper in vehicle brake pad manufacturing. For lead, about 40 percent of samples exceeded the relevant water quality standard. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, tire weights from vehicle tires ground to dust on roadways are the primary source of particulate lead in stormwater.

Other highlights: At least five different pesticides (2,4-D, dichlobenil, diuron, triclopyr, and propiconazole) were detected in the basin.

Various portions of the basin are listed as “water quality limited” for bacteria, with. E. coli counts exceeding the water quality standard for about 30 percent of samples collected from the Amazon Basin sites.

Surveys of creek-bed organisms show “heavily degraded” populations.

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