Willamette River Cleanup
It’s Your River. It’s Your Voice. It’s Your Choice.
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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.
Where We Live: Portland Harbor Superfund Site
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) —You would never know it from the surface, but underneath the water of the Willamette River in downtown Portland, there’s a huge problem. Twenty years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency designated a ten-mile stretch of the lower Willamette—between the Broadway Bridge and Sauvie Island—as seriously contaminated.
Called the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, it is the biggest of 13 superfund sites in Oregon, and about 1,300 nationwide.
Metro Council Candidates Forum on Environmental Justice and Willamette Cove
Join us next week for a virtual Metro Council Candidates Forum on Environmental Justice and Willamette Cove. Tuesday, September 29th6:30pm - 8:00pm Zoom link information below. To RSVP on Facebook, click here. Add event to calendar To join Zoom meeting, use this link...
September 16th EPA Portland Harbor Public Forum
EPA plans to virtually present on the Cathedral Park area at the Wednesday, September 16th EPA Portland Harbor Public Forum (with support from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group). EPA will plan to cover some...
OPINION: Willamette Cove deserves better
Published in Portland Tribune August 27, 2020, by Barbara Quinn There are compelling reasons to care about the future of Willamette Cove. It is one of the last riverfront parcels on the Willamette's urban stretch. The 27-acre site south of the St. Johns Bridge is...
Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council to host Virtual Public Meeting
The Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council is hosting a webinar to share information and answer questions about the Draft Supplemental Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment published earlier this month. The webinar will be held on Tuesday September...
Community Involvement, and a Technical Advisor selected
First, the EPA has finalized the update to the Community Involvement Plan (CIP) and CIP Summary for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site.
Second, the Willamette River Advocacy Group (WRAG) is excited to announce an independent technical advisor (Marcus Griswold, PhD) has been selected to provide support to the WRAG for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site under EPA’s Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program.
Suggestions for public comment on the Willamette Cove Cleanup
Use these notes to inform your own message to DEQ. The public comment period ends August 31st.
Trustee Council Announces Publication of Draft Portland Harbor Supplemental Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment
The Trustee Council has developed a Draft Supplemental Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment to evaluate and select one of three alternatives to implement restoration actions. The Draft Supplemental Restoration Plan also evaluates potential environmental impacts from the alternatives under the National Environmental Policy Act.
OPB: Oregon DEQ To Begin Downtown Portland River Cleanup
The DEQ and NW Natural will remove about 5,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment and tar-like material at the former Portland Gas Manufacturing site. The cleanup is part of the Willamette River Downtown Reach project. It is the last significant legacy contamination from gas manufacturing operations from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s.
Follow-Up from the virtual June 10th Portland Harbor Public Forum.
From US EPA: Thank you to everyone who attended the June 10th quarterly EPA Portland Harbor Public Forum (with DEQ and CAG support). A webinar recording and other materials from this event are now available both on EPA’s Portland Harbor website in the ‘Public...
State Seeks Comment on Temporary Closure of Willamette Cove
The Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) is currently accepting public comments on a proposal to close Willamette Cove to boating and other river uses from mid-August through October 2020 to allow sediment and water samples to be collected. Please read below for...
Help make Portland Harbor information accessible and protect the cleanup!
Join the Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group, the City of Portland, and the Oregon Department of State Lands online July 8 at 6:30pm for a virtual workshop and share how YOU would like to learn about the river cleanup. RSVP to reserve your spot.