Willamette River Cleanup
It’s Your River. It’s Your Voice. It’s Your Choice.
Contribute to support the work of the Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group.
About the Portland Harbor Cleanup Site
The Portland Harbor Site spans 10 miles of the Lower Willamette River. The river sediments, surface water, and the fish that reside in the harbor have high levels of PCBs, PAHs, dioxins/furans, DDT and other pesticides which present an unacceptable risk to people’s health, especially subsistence and tribal fishers, and to the environment.
Under EPA cleanup plan, contaminated sediments at the site will be addressed through dredging, capping, enhanced natural recovery, and monitored natural recovery. Approximately 394 acres of sediment, out of 2,190 total acres in the site, will be actively remediated with dredging and capping, including removal of over three million cubic yards of contaminated sediments. Approximately 1,774 acres of the site with lower contaminant levels are expected to recover naturally over time.
Active cleanup construction work is expected to take about 13 years and cost $1 billion. Following the active cleanup construction phase, EPA expects a 100-fold reduction in contamination-related cancer and other serious risks. The river’s natural recovery process will further reduce these risks.
EPA Announces eight new agreements for remedial design
Also read the report on OPB: https://www.opb.org/news/article/superfund-portland-harbor-epa-cleanup-agreements/ From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Greetings! EPA has some exciting news to share; eight new agreements (also known as Administrative...
Field Trips, Speakers and Environmental Justice Tours
The Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group is pleased to announce several educational opportunities for schools and community members. They include field trips for schools, walking tours, bike tours and presentations. We are able to work with groups to...
Notes from the February 12, 2020 CAG meeting
PORTLAND HARBOR COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP MEETING February 12, 2020 PANEL Michael Pouncil, CAG Chair Hunter Young, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 – Oregon Operations office James Holm, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers PRESENT Doug Larson, CAG Board Member...
Monitoring and Protecting Wildlife in Portland’s North Harbor Watershed – Portland Harbor Community Advisory Committee Public meeting – January 2020
by Sarah Taylor Wildlife, in what is now known as the Portland Harbor and Forest Park, have made this stretch of river, marsh and forest home for thousands of years. Animals migrated between the various ecosystems to find food and water, to reproduce and to nest. They...
Trustee Council Announces Request for Ecological Restoration Project Proposals
In anticipation of future settlement funds becoming available for restoration, the Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council (Trustee Council) is accepting proposals for ecological restoration projects within the Portland Harbor Superfund Study Area and Broader...
Portland Harobr CAG November and December notes
Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group Meeting Notes – December 2019 Submitted by Sarah Taylor 12-28-2019 Next meeting The monthly CAG Meeting is Wednesday January 8th at 6:00 pm at the BES Water Lab Topic- Wildlife in the Portland Harbor – Habitat needs and impact...
Willamette Cove In-Water Remedial Design Agreement
Willamette Cove In-Water Remedial Design Agreement: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has signed a settlement agreement with the State of Oregon, City of Portland, Port of Portland and settling federal agencies to develop remedial design for the Willamette Cove...
Final ESD Signed
EPA’s Final Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD): After reviewing and responding to input from over 1,100 commenters, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has issued the final Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) that identifies changes to...
Opinion: Full remediation is the only answer for Portland Harbor Superfund site
Published on OregonLive 19/9/2019 By Cassie Cohen and Jessica Rojas Cohen is co-founder and executive director of the Portland Harbor Community Coalition. Rojas is the associate director at Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods and is a member of the Portland Harbor...
EPA Rejects Proposal To Scale Back Cleanup Plans For Portland Harbor
As reported on opb.org: by Cassandra Profita Follow OPB Sept. 25, 2019 10:15 a.m. | Portland, Ore. Companies with property in the Portland Harbor Superfund Site downstream from NW Natural include ExxonMobil, BP and Toyota. Cassandra Profita/OPB Four of the parties...
Council approves $3.475 million more for Portland Harbor cleanup
As reported by The Portland Tribune's Jim Redden 9/12/2019: The City Council agreed to spend up to $3.475 million more through 2024 to help meet its commitment to cleaning up the Portland Harbor Superfund site on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The vote was 4-0 with Commissioner...
Technical Advisor for the Portland Harbor Superfund site – Opening
The Willamette River Advocacy Group is accepting proposals for the Technical Advisor position to work with community partners affected by the Portland Harbor Superfund cleanup. This position is instrumental in helping the community to be better informed and active in the decision-making process, and to become effective stewards of the ongoing cleanup of the lower 11 miles of the Willamette River.