<p>According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (<a title="link to Oregon DEQ site" href="http://www.deq.state.or.us/wq/SB737/ ">DEQ</a>), pesticides make up the largest category of persistent pollutants on a <a title="persistant pollutant list - DEQ" href="http://www.deq.state.or.us/wq/SB737/ ">list</a> (51 out of 140) that they released in June of this year.  </p>
<p>The list is part of a longer-term project that the DEQ embarked on as a result of the passing of Senate Bill 737 which required the agency to develop a list of priority persistent bioaccumulative toxics (“Priority Persistent Pollutant List”) that have a documented effect on human health, wildlife and aquatic life.  </p>
<p>DEQ’s next step will involve identifying the sources of the pollutants and examining ways to reduce the amount that reaches Oregon’s Waters.</p>