Portland Harbor is the common name for the 5.5 mile section of river that stretches from Swan Island to near Sauvie Island, all in the first few miles of the Willamette River. This section of river has been highly manipulated over the past 150 years, from early efforts to control and change the channel, to the brunt of industrial development. As a result of industry and other urban development, in 2000 this area was designated a Federal Superfund Site under the Comprehensive Environmental Remediation Cleanup, Liability Act.
Levels and locations of pollutants in the Portland Harbor Superfund Site vary and a majority of pollutants are contained in river sediments. Such pollutions include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), metals (cadmium, lead, zinc), dioxins, furans, DDT, arsenic, mercury, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Although some of these are still discharged into the river system, a number are byproducts of past industrial processes. Such as, the now illegal use of PCB that were used in industrial products such as inks, dyes, and plasticizers. Unfortunately, once released into the environment, many pollutants take decades to breakdown—thus remaining in the system. Worse still, these pollutants may react together in the environment to create even more toxic compounds.
The clean up of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site involves the following steps:
- Remedial Investigation — identify the extent and type of contamination.
- Feasibility Study — evaluation of proposed clean up options.
- Remedial Design & Action — design technical options for cleanup.
- Record of Decision — develop and implement a course of action.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has oversight of the entire cleanup, while the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) efforts focus on upland sites – adjacent or riverside lands that may have some level of contamination that affects the river. In 2002 WR helped to establish the Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group, the leading public voice in the clean up process.
The area has over 80 Potentially Responsible Parties (PRP) identified as having had some connection with causing the pollution that resides in the river sediments today. The Lower Willamette Group is an organization composed of 14 PRPs (including the Port of Portland, and the City of Portland), who are meeting the requirements of the Superfund law and paying for the RI/FS process, which began in 2001. A critical part of the cleanup process is to not only to remove the contaminated material within the site, but to control upland sources of additional contamination, as well as any that may come from far upstream.
In addition to the Portland Harbor Superfund designation and clean up process, there are several areas within the Harbor—called “early action” sites—where clean up actions are either completed or underway. These sites include the Port of Portland Terminal 4, NW Natural GASCO, Legacy Site Services Arkema, and the University of Portland Triangle Park. Find out more about these individual sites at the EPA Portland Harbor website.
Since its designation, Willamette Riverkeeper has worked to evaluate every step in the process to ensure that the cleanup is comprehensive and timely. Members of the general public can get involved through the Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group which provides input to the EPA on cleanup issues. This group meets every second Wednesday of the month at the Portland Water Quality Lab in St. Johns.
For more information about the Cleanup use the links within the text and below.
Citizen’s Guide to the Willamette River Portland Harbor Cleanup: A Public Challenge—Willamette Riverkeeper (2002)
LWG Update (2004)
Map of the Superfund area and PRPs
Portland Harbor—Oregon DEQ site
