CAG Board Members
Michael Pouncil, Chair
Doug Larson
Sarah Taylor
Casimera Tadewaldt
July 10, 2024
Participants: 231 online, several more at BES Lab
Michael Pouncil
Introduction: tonight’s meeting has been recorded.
July 19-21, Cathedral Park Jazz Festival. PHCAG will have an info table.
Tonight’s Meeting:
Update from the City of Portland about Willamette Cove. The Willamette Cove In-water Remedial Design Group and Maul Foster (MFA), who are the new Willamette Cove in-water design consultants, provided us with information on the transition and design deliverables.
We also looked at the Community Impacts Mitigation Plan (CIMP) draft with EPA. This CIMP document focuses on potential impacts to surrounding communities during clean-up of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, as well as remedial action requirements & recommendations. The CIMP serves as a guide and enforcement tool to reduce adverse impacts to the community from Portland Harbor activities. EPA welcomes public feedback on this draft CIMP through August 6.
Presentations
Maul Foster Associates
Cleanup – community engagement, expect little to change about engagement, will work with MFA. 30% design formal feedback this fall.
Jessica Glenn, MFA:
Willamette Cove Sediment Remediation Design Team Transition:
- Complete sediment and riverbank design in 2025. Continue to work with the community.
WFA Team’s past experiences:
- Port of Ridgefield Waterfront – Precision Dredging.
- Zidell Riverbank and Sediment Cap, Portland South Waterfront. Transformed water from ship-making docks to a native landscape-focused design. 14 acres.
- Steigerwald Wildlife Refuge. Floodplain Reconnection, Camus/Washougal area. Provided space for the Columbia River by restoring Gibbons Creek.
- Johnson Creek. Sewer pipe was buried under the stream – a flood exposed the pipe. Worked with the city to provide protection for the pipe. Created a more resilient, protective system. Vegetation is coming back.
- Eugene Riverfront Park. Redeveloped a contaminated property – was a utility equipment yard. Reconstructed a bike path.
Schedule:
- Supplemental Design Investigation – has been submitted to EPA.
- 30% Remedial Design EPA Review – has been prepared, will submit to EPA
- Submit Complete Remedial Design to EPA – 60% design, then submit to EPA by end of 2025
Approach
The river is a literal force of nature and our approach work with the river:
- Remediation – how to do contamination control and toxin removal safely
- Geomorphology – how to work with the river as we do this, impacts of placing a cap in the inner-cove area and of laying back the riverbank
- River/Streambank Restoration – needs to be stabilized so we’re not re-contaminating sediment.
Design approach
- Softer techniques for living shorelines
- Harder techniques for coastal structures
Geomorphic Approach
The study of change in rivers. A big driver is the amount of energy hitting the banks. Understand how the river works, how it might change in response to capping and other treatments.
MFA’s approach will deliver a protective site remedy that works for the river and is focused on long-term resiliency.
Q&A
Q: An emergency issue on the river is cyanobacteria, which can grow in warmed water. Keep animals away from the water? Cap design – can this extend out into the channel enough to flush the cove and keep bacteria from forming in stagnant water? Talking about a swimming beach, can we accommodate activity in a safe way?
A: We are looking at impacts of caps regarding river function. What will the river bottom surface look like?
Q: The south waterfront appears to be an open park dedicated to humans. We need, somewhere on the river, habitat creation for animals – salmon, steelhead, lamprey. Can the design include some shallows and some shade?
A: We are working on this as well. Will incorporate shading, this will be more of a nature park.
Q: Cyanobacteria – is this part of the design requirement?
A: Not a requirement. Looking at this, aware of the issue.
Q: Have you looked at what the river looked like before the railroad bridge? Has been collecting junk, even before the ship yards. When Greenpeace kept a ship from passing under the St Johns Bridge, their backup created a propeller-driven muck in the riverbed.
Knowing the habits of ship-building. Go through with a big electromagnet to remove iron, there’s more problems with stuff that needs to be removed, both physically and chemically. You might be underestimating the amount of this this stuff.
A: We’re looking into this – the team is just getting started. As we go, we’ll have some breathing room to anticipate the impacts of the design including the original condition of the site.
Q: Does the work you’re doing extend enough to ship lines in the channel. Bigger ships are coming in.
A: Looking at this.
Q: The end of 2025, you will send final design to EPA?
A: That’s the goal. We think this is doable.
Comment from PHCAG, Michael:
Curious about outreach. GSI at Willamette field day was great – we’d like to have that level of community outreach continue with this effort. We encourage reaching out to those who have been involved.
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Presentation, EPA:
EPA Draft Community Impacts Mitigation Plan
Outreach to public – what to expect.
Area: River Mile 1.9 to 11.8.
Describe potential impacts to surrounding communities during clean up. Outline requirements and recommendations to implement during construction to lessen and to mitigate community impacts. The CIMP will impact Performing Parties and their contractors since it will provide the requirements and guidelines for them to use.
Concerns:
Noise, Recreation, Resident Fish Consumption, Riverfront Access for Unhoused Community Members, Traffic and Parking, Water Quality, Air Quality
Often may be in coordination with existing programs and channels of communication.
Looking to establish a committee for a 60-day public feedback review June 6 to August 6, 2024. Committee will include EPA, DEQ, City of Portland, community groups, political representatives, Harbor Master and more. Will review complaints from the hotline, and from posted comments.
How to read the draft CIMP and provide comments online:
Link to the document on the EPA Portland Harbor website at www.epa.gov/superfund/portland-harbor.
Provide feedback using the link shared on the website: Step 1. Go to: https://phcimp.konveio.com/draft-portland-harbor-community-impacts-mitigation-plan-cimp
Step 2. To comment and view other user comments, click anywhere on the document or on the comment bubble on the top right.
Step 3. You can also reply, like, or copy a link to comments.
Step 4. If you run into any technical errors, try refreshing the webpage. If commenting using the instructions above does not work for you, we still want to hear from you!
Questions/Comments? Please email both Josie Clark at clark.josie@epa.gov and Laura Knudsen at knudsen.laura@epa.gov
Link to the document on the EPA Portland Harbor website at www.epa.gov/superfund/portland-harbor
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***Upcoming Events***
River School 2024
Summer Nights by the River At Green Anchors / York River Education Center
What – An opportunity to learn about and enjoy the Willamette River, while meeting new people and exchanging important ideas.
When- Sunday evenings from 5 to 7 pm. July 7th to August 11th
Where – York River Center at Green Anchors (next to Cathedral Park) On the banks of the Lower Willamette River in a beautiful garden setting.
Hosted by – Portland Harbor Community Advisory Committee, The Braided River Campaign, Willamette River Keepers, Green Anchors Foundation
Adult Program – Each week we will gather to explore, learn, hear form experts about the river. It’s ecology, it’s history, the challenges and the solutions. Join experts, as we learn about the river, walk to the beach, have an opportunity to canoe and create a meaningful community art project.
Youth Program – A youth program is available for those attending River School with an adult. Ecology, art, and science hands on experiences.
Youth must be pre-registered. Please email sarahsojourner@mac.com to pre-register.
Schedule –
July 14th – Colonization and Contamination – the story of the river
July 21st – Habitat and wildlife – the rights of nature along the river
July 28th – Explore habitat restoration projects in a long canoe. Must pre-register.
August 4th– City Council Candidate Forum on the future of the river
August 11th – Dance for the River. Bi-lingual River education, dancing, performances.
Updates and Details – Braided River Campaign and Portland Harbor CAG Websites.
Contact – sarahsojourner@mac.com mpouncil@comcast.net
PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE FORUM
Come and Join Us!!
We will be having a Portland City Council Candidates open forum event, at the 👉Braided River Gallery at the Lloyd Center, on July 18th at 4:00 p.m.! Click here for directions👈
👉Learn how to frame candidate questions by clicking here! 👈
Our focus will be on community involvement. Come hear, learn and share about important issues that affect ALL the district’s regarding Portland Harbor, CEI Hub, Zenith, and Public Health. See you there!
Contact: Michael Pouncil at 503.705.7224, mpouncil@comcast.net
Portland Harbor CAG
portlandharborcag@gmail.com
Portland Harbor CAG YouTube
Our mailing address is:
Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group
8316 N. Lombard St., PMB #344
Portland, OR 97203
Notes taken by Jane Terzis
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