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The City of Portland, Oregon

Environmental Services

working for clean rivers

Phone: 503-823-7740

Fax: 503-823-6995

1120 SW 5th Ave, Suite 613, Portland, OR 97204

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Emerson Garden (2000)

Emerson Garden beforeSite Address: 822 NE Emerson Street
Date of site approval: November 2000
Acreage: 0.08
Zoning: residential

The Oregon Sustainable Agricuture Land Trust (OSALT) owns the site of this community garden, which is managed by Groundwork Portland. The Portland Brownfield Program conducted a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment that identified no past uses of the site associated with contamination.  However, the King Neighborhood Association performed follow-up tests in advance of establishing the community garden and found lead and arsenic levels in Emerson Garden afterthe soil that exceeded state standards for residential use. Contaminated soil was relocated to the rear portion of the site; it has been monitored to ensure safety, and removal is now being planned.

Groundwork Portland hosted a series of community design forums to plan the garden and broke ground on the community garden in summer 2010.