Portland Harbor Superfund

The Time is Now to Clean It Up!

Background

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 bulk of industrial development that has taken place along this part of the river.

As a result of industry, and other urban development along the river, this area has been designated a Federal Superfund Site under the Comprehensive Environmental Remediation Cleanup, Liability Act (CERCLA).

This section of river is now undergoing the federal process to:

1) Identify the extent of contamination.
2) Identify the type of contamination (Remedial Investigation, RI)
3) Develop Recommended Actions.
4) Develop a course of action, and take action to clean the multiple

    contaminated sites up (Record of Decision, ROD).

The Key Parties

The area has over 70 Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) whom the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified as having had some connection with causing the pollution that resides in the river sediments today.

The PRPs comprise a host of companies, some large, some small, as well as municipal entities such as the Port of Portland. They are varied, and some have been out of business for years.

The US EPA has oversight of the entire cleanup, with oversight of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) efforts to address upland sites. These “upland” sites are those areas adjacent to the river, or on riverside lands, that may have some level of contamination that affects the river.

The DEQ is taking the lead in “source control” on the upland sites, entailing identifying the extent of the pollution on land, controlling it if it is still a problem, and cleaning up sites that have ongoing pollution.

The EPA is tasked with leading the effort to address the in-river contamination, principally, contaminated sediments that are assumed to be near-shore.

Industry Nexus

To address pollution that they have likely caused, several key companies and public entities have formed the Lower Willamette Group (LWG). These entities; the City of Portland, the Port of Portland, NW Natural, Chevron, ARKEMA and others are currently funding the Remedial Investigation Process.

While the US EPA oversees their work, and that of the LWG’s consultants who perform the work, the EPA is reimbursed for their expenses, and the LWG pays for the work of their consultants.

Download Lower Willamette Group's 2004 Update (PDF)

Funding for Work

It is usually later in Superfund Cleanups, when the Responsible Parties fight cleanup costs, or an entity can no longer be identified, that the “Superfund” resource is used. Traditionally this has been created by a tax on the oil and chemical industry, yet today, because this tax has lapsed, the fund is comprised of public tax dollars.

It remains to be seen to what degree Portland Harbor will need the Superfund funding to complete cleanup projects at the multiple sites along the river.

Willamette Riverkeeper has been involved with the Superfund Site from when it was first under active consideration as a State of Oregon led cleanup, to today and the EPA leads the process.

Willamette Riverkeeper evaluates every step in the cleanup process, from analyzing technical documents to meeting with the EPA, DEQ, and responsible parties to ensure that the cleanup is comprehensive and timely.

We have been a leading voice for a comprehensive cleanup, and a timely cleanup. There is no excuse to have a public river, such as the Willamette River, exist as a polluted mess. Today there are sites in the Harbor area that are highly contaminated with detrimental affects on fish and wildlife.

Willamette Riverkeeper led the process, with a public meeting in early 2002, to establish and Community Advisory Group for the Harbor. We then urged the US EPA to help establish the group based on a list of interested parties we collected at our public meeting (under CERCLA, a CAG can be established for any Superfund site). Willamette Riverkeeper Chaired this group for its first year of its existence.

The CAG is a great way for the interested public to take part in evaluating plans set forth to begin the cleanup process (see below for how to get involved).

Portland Harbor

Community Advisory Group

The CAG is comprised of individuals from neighborhood associations, environmental, health, recreation, and business groups, and concerned citizens.

For more information go to www.portlandharborcag.org.

Willamette Riverkeeper also administers a Technical Assistance Grant from the US EPA. This grant allows us to provide technical assistance and information to the public, and members of the CAG.

Willamette Riverkeeper believes that the public is a critical part of this process. Our organization has a variety of ways to get YOU involved:

• River Guardian Program – This program engages people in monitoring and getting involved in Willamette River issues. We can always use volunteers to get involved in the cleanup through this program.

• River Discovery Paddle Trips – Willamette Riverkeeper conducts trips on the Willamette River in the Harbor area where people can paddle canoes and kayaks and learn about the area from our expert staff.

• Willamette Riverkeeper also provide regular updates through our Email Alert list.

Check out our Citizen’s Guide to the Portland Harbor Cleanup here.

Links

Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group – www.portlandharborcag.org
US EPA’s Portland Harbor Site - www.epa.gov/superfund/index.htm
Oregon DEQ - www.deq.state.or.us/nwr/PortlandHarbor/ph.htm

City of Portland’s Superfund Page - www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=32138

NOAA Portland Harbor Mapping Project - www.mapping.orr.noaa.gov/website/portal/portland/

Recent and Ongoing Portland Harbor Projects

Terminal 4

The Port of Portland has proposed an Early Action cleanup at its Terminal 4 site in the Portland Harbor. The Port has proposed removing some contaminated sediment from Slip 3, and moving it to Slip 1, where there is a proposed Confined Disposal Facility (CDF). The CDF is essentially an area that would take in some level of contaminated waste. The Port proposed to dewater Slip 1, and then build a berm between the deposited sediment and the main river.

The Port would then take additional sediment from the surrounding harbor, and deposit it over several years into the CDF area (about 15 acres). This sediment would then be “capped,” meaning that it would be covered with clean sediment to keep it in place for the long term.

Aerial photo of Terminal 4 Proposed CDF,

from left Slip 1-3.

Eventually the surface would be paved or developed by the Port as part of its marine operations.

Much controversy has surrounded this proposal. WRK feels that this is an option that could be explored, if adequate data was provided. To date there have been many questions regarding such a site in relation to potential flooding and long term movement of groundwater. While these facilities have been used in Puget Sound for years, this would be the first time in the Western United States that such a facility would be constructed in a riverine environment.

Based on the information provided by the EPA to date, it is still too risky with too many unanswered questions, to approve of at this time.

Crane at work removing tar and sediment

from river bottom, November 2005.

GASCO

A mass of tar at the highly contaminated GASCO site was recently removed, the equivalent of 500 dump truck loads or tar and tar laden sediment where removed from the river bottom. The area was then capped with clean sediment. This tar-like substance was on the river bottom for the past few decades, creating a contaminated hotspot in the middle of an already polluted Harbor.

A “silt curtain” was used to prevent contamination of the river as the area was being cleaned up. But during the cleanup, on several occasions, water quality samples showed very high amounts of Benzo (a) pyrene and Benzo(a) anthracene. In our view, this contamination occurred far too often. Several times work stopped at the site until the EPA, working with NW Natural, could decide what, if any, corrective action should be taken too address the high contaminant levels downstream.

The removal was far from perfect. The result though, has gotten the vast majority of the area cleaned up. This project has provided some valuable lessons for the EPA that can be applied to future actions in the Portland Harbor cleanup that are of a similar nature.

Overall, this early action project has improved the site, but a significant portion of contaminated sediment and upland soil remains to be dealt with.

McCormick & Baxter

The McCormick & Baxter site is the former home to McCormick & Baxter, a company that treated wood with creosote. Over the years, due to poor disposal and holding practices, creosote leaked into the groundwater in this area. This site was listed as its own Superfund site in June 1994, preceding the larger Superfund site by several years.

The cleanup has been significant, with 33,000 tons of contaminated soil removed from the site. Part of the pollution problem at this site included significant contamination of river sediment.

This past summer a cap was placed over the in-water portion of contaminated sediment. This cap is reinforced along the shoreline with a concrete blanket intended to protect against erosion. The upland area has been capped as well, and then covered with a specialized sheet that provides another layer of protection, and then more soil. The goal is a cleanup that results in a usable area that can be used again with no acute or chronic impacts on human health.

McCormick & Baxter also provides good restoration opportunity. In the coming months, Willamette Riverkeeper will be working with DEQ on replanting the area with native plants. A celebration is planned for February to highlight the completion of the project’s construction stage. To get involved, contact Willamette Riverkeeper and check out our calendar for the latest opportunities.

Alas, this site will require many years of monitoring to ensure that all aspects of the cleanup are working as designed. For instance, at low water levels, small amounts of oily substances can be seen along the shoreline. This will continue to be monitored and addressed as needed.

Concrete blanket along shoreline, looking

up onto the property.

Oily sheen found near shore requires

continued monitoring of site.

Right of the bridge McCormick & Batxer Clean up site.