September 12, 2019

Yesterday, Council approved two important parts of the Portland Harbor Superfund cleanup.

The first project is to move forward on designing the cleanup at Willamette Cove. Willamette Cove is a unique and important site on the east bank of the river – one of few places with public access to the river. The City is partnering with the Port of Portland, the State of Oregon, and the U.S. Department of Defense on cleaning the site, which was a major shipbuilding terminal during World War II.

The second project is an Information Management Plan that will guide data collection and sharing from each of the individual sites in the Superfund area. The Information Management Plan will ensure consistent, timely, and transparent information for the public, government agencies, local businesses, and Superfund parties.

In December 2018, the United States Environmental Agency (EPA) announced that the entire Portland Harbor Superfund site needed to meet significant milestones toward the next phase of the cleanup by the end of 2019. This phase, called Remedial Design, is when scientists and engineers design the technical elements and work plans for the actual cleanup.

Special thanks to Annie Von Burg at the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), BES Director Michael Jordan, and the entire Superfund team for their continued work toward a cleaner, healthier river; and to Cassie Cohen from the Portland Harbor Community Coalition and Bob Sallinger from Portland Audubon for testifying in support of the projects.

Background

Council Presentation

Media

Portland City Council Votes to Fund Cleanup Plan on Superfund Site

Ted Sickinger in The Oregonian

Council Approves $3.475 Million More For Portland Harbor Cleanup

Jim Redden in the Portland Tribune

           Willamette Cove