Crag Law Center

     The Clean Water Act promised to restore the nation’s waterways by providing fishable, swimmable and drinkable water.  Three decades have passed since the passage of this law, and local citizens and conservation groups are still working hard to achieve these goals.  Through our Water Quality & Wetlands Program, the Crag Law Center provides legal assistance to local citizens and conservation groups that seek to improve water quality and ensure sufficient water quantity for aquatic life.  The demand for clean water is high, and the Crag Law Center handles citizen enforcement actions and cutting edge litigation to meet this demand.  Crag has been and continues to work on water quality and water quantity issues across the Pacific Northwest. 

     One of the leading causes of pollution in Oregon coastal rivers is sediment from Oregon’s vast road network.  Stormwater erodes logging roads as it flows into rivers, carrying with it mud and debris that negatively impacts habitat for salmon and aquatic life.  Road runoff also poses risks to the State’s drinking water supplies.   Currently, the State of Oregon is not taking steps to control these pollutants under the Clean Water Act.  As a result, on behalf of local citizens, the Crag Law Center filed suit to force the Oregon Department of Forestry and logging companies to identify pollution sources and procure permits for them.  Without controls, the logging roads in the Tillamook State Forest drain polluted stormwater directly into important salmon-bearing rivers and streams.

     On the Oregon Coast, Crag is representing the Surfrider Foundation and local citizens on the Oregon coast to ensure that sewage treatment plants and municipal stormwater discharges meet the standards of the Clean Water Act and other regulations.   Surfriders is trying to work with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to ensure better control of municipal waste. 

     Crag represents the Gifford Pinchot Task Force to support the United States Forest Service’s plan to remove the Hemlock Dam from the Wind River.  Dam removal on the Sandy River has proven itself to be a key to restoring healthy stocks of native fish. 

     Crag is representing Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition in its efforts to protect natural estuaries along the Oregon coast from unsustainable deveopment.   For over five years, the Crag Law Center has worked to protect Botts Marsh on the Nehalem River and Sand Lake Estuary along the Oregon Coast.

     Crag is working with the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center and fisherperson groups to protect the Rogue River and the Chetco River from proposals to mine gravel from the spawning grounds for coastal coho and other fish.  These Wild & Scenic Rivers are loved by Oregonians for their amazing recreational opportunities.

     Through the Water Quality Program, the Crag Law Center provides support for local citizens and conservation groups working to restore and recover healthy stocks of native fish.  In a time when the natural world is under pressure, the Crag Law Center’s clients are working hard to restore degraded ecosystems and protect the remaining intact ecosystems from human impacts.  Browse deeper to learn more about our specific projects.