We want to congratulate the Willamette River Advocacy Group (WRAG) who was officially awarded the EPA’s Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) for Portland Region 10 Superfund cleanup. The grant allows the group funding to hire a Technical Advisor who can represent the community stakeholders in translating and interpreting the scientific information and data put forth in the various reports from EPA and PRP’s.

In the fall of 2017, eight residents of the St Johns/North Portland community formed the Willamette River Advocacy Group to step forward and accept the additional burden to secure needed technical advisors for the community to consult on Willamette River Superfund cleanup.

Working on behalf of those communities most adversely affected by the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, the Willamette River Advocacy Group’s mission is to facilitate access to and communication with technical advisors, and to advocate, in collaboration with other stakeholder groups, for a cleanup process that relies on community input and restores, protects, and enriches the environment for fish, wildlife, and human health.

WRAG is a new organization, and one that its volunteer board considers its creation just a formalization of their relationship as neighbors and friends, activists, educators, and environmentalists that would be working together anyway were it not for the need to accomplish the goals of communicating and gaining clarification and further education for the community about the Portland Harbor Superfund.

They are currently finalizing the hiring search processes and will be advertising the opening for a contracted position through the grant for a Technical Advisor soon. Stay tuned for the job posting and then the announcement of the hire of a Technical Advisor.

Congratulations Willamette River Advocacy Group on a job well done.