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.
Ceremony to heal the Willamette River
Reported by Nika Bartoo-Smith Underscore Native News + ICT PORTLAND, ORE. – Over four dozen people gathered under the St. John’s bridge, at the shores of the Willamette River on a misty morning on September 8 to welcome one of the Portland All Nations Canoe Family’s...
Portland Harbor CAG meeting July 10, 2024
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....
Welcome Bob Sallinger as Executive Director of Willamette Riverkeeper
Bob Sallinger has played a major role in the work to cleanup the Portland Harbor through his work as Conservation Director for Bird Alliance of Oregon (formerly Portland Audubon) and as a member of the Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group. Now Bob will be taking...
Community River School
Community River School Sweet Summer Evenings on the Banks of the Willamette For all ages The river stretched her arms, overflowing her banks with an abundance which could neither be replaced or bought. Green Anchors- Next to Cathedral Park 5:00 to 7:00 pm Sunday, July...
Portland Harbor CAG May 8. 2024 – Willamette Cove Master Plan Phase I
CAG Board Members Michael Pouncil, Chair Doug Larson Sarah Taylor Casimera Tadewaldt May 8, 2024 Participants: 24 Michael Pouncil Introduction: Cassie Cohen - Portland Harbor Community Coalition. Working on Willamette Cove issues, meeting with Metro and EPA....
Portland Botanical Gardens Signs Purchase and Sale Agreement of McCormick and Baxter Site
PORTLAND, OREGON, USA, April 30, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On Earth Day (April 22, 2024), Portland Botanical Gardens (PBG) secured an option to purchase the 59-acre McCormick & Baxter (M&B) superfund site at 6900 N. Edgewater Road in North Portland. The...
Help shape the future of Willamette Cove
As reported by Pamplin Media: Metro, the regional government serving the urban portions of Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, has kicked off the planning process to create a nature park at Willamette Cove, a former industrial site on the Willamette River...
Willamette Week: A Once-Polluted Stretch of Riverfront Has Been Clean for Nearly 20 Years. Why Is It Still Off-Limits?
Reported in Willamette Week: By Nigel Jaquiss April 10, 2024 at 7:01 am PDT Chasing Ghosts: Outdoor Adventure ADDRESS: 6900 N Edgewater St. YEAR BUILT: The creosote plant operated from 1944 to 1991. SIZE: 41.8 acres (land); 16.4 acres (water) MARKET VALUE: None...
Portland Harbor Community Impacts Mitigation Plan
From US EPA: EPA continues to develop the Community Impacts Mitigation Plan (CIMP) for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. The CIMP is a living document that will serve as a guide and enforcement tool to reduce adverse impacts to the community from Portland Harbor...
Portland Harbor CAG meeting January 10, 2024
CAG Board Members Michael Pouncil, Chair Doug Larson Sarah Taylor In Attendance Madi Novak, Interim Superfund Project Manager Laura Knudsen, EPA Dani Jochums, Triangle Associates Anna Hamilton, Triangle Associates Sarah Greenfield, ODEQ Dawn Sanders, BES...
Oil, Chemical Firms Pay Millions to Fix Portland Harbor
An update as reported in the Environmental News Service 12/31/2023 PORTLAND, Oregon, December 31, 2023 (ENS) – People who eat fish that live year-round in Oregon’s Lower Willamette River are taking a big risk, as these fish contain levels of toxic polychlorinated...
Public Comment Period Extended for Recently Announced Consent Decrees
Thank you Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council for notification: On November 1st, 2023, the Justice Department lodged two proposed consent decrees in federal court among members of the Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council (Trustee Council) and...