Technical Bulletin No. 0846: Turbidity: A Literature Review on the Biological Effects of Turbidity on Aquatic Organisms and an Assessment of Turbidity in Two Long-Term Receiving Wa

NCASI responded to a request by Northwest pulp and paper mills to evaluate a proposed change to a turbidity water quality criterion by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The proposed criterion change was to broaden an existing allowable 10% turbidity change for non-point source activities to point source discharges. NCASI approached this evaluation by 1) conducting a literature review of the biological effects of turbidity on aquatic life, and 2) conducting an analysis of river water quality data collected as part of an on-going river monitoring study on the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers to characterize natural turbidity levels and variability.