Commentary
Page 12
Street Roots • June 10-16, 2016
Pollution in our commons: Time to speak out on river clean-up
BY BARBARA QUINN
not remove enough persistent pollutants
and leaves most of the site untouched
(natural recovery/spreading) to wash
hreats to our health coming from the
contaminants downriver into the Columbia.
air and water have been exposed to
It also has no known time frame for
the light of day. Agencies and leaders
whose job it is to protect the community achieving cleanup goals.
The Community Advisory Group and
have been found to be lax in saying no to
other
community stakeholders, such as The
businesses who have treated our commons,
Audubon Society, both Willamette and
the air and water, as their personal disposal
Columbia Riverkeepers and the Yakama
system.
Nation all agree on one thing: EPA’s Plan is
The chemical waste dumped in the lower
not sufficient to achieve a healthy river and
Willamette River is no exception. Callous
it does not promise fish as safe and edible
disregard for our community-owned river
immediately upriver, a primary goal for
has resulted in 10 miles of disgustingly
some
community groups.
contaminated beaches and bottom
The equity equation for the lower
sediments that are rife with hundreds of
Willamette gets even more unbalanced with
chemicals: DDTs, agent orange, also known
the
likelihood of a 14-acre toxic waste dump
as 2,4,5-T & 2,4-D, dioxin/furans, PAHs
proposed at T-4 in S t Johns. The dump
(Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) from
(don’t be fooled by the euphemistic title,
petroleum products and PCBs
“Confined Disposal Facility”) would be filled
(Polychlorinated bipheyls) from insulation
with contaminated dredge spoils and located
products, along with a host of toxic heavy
in
an earthquake and flood hazard zone. It
metals such as lead, cadmiuih, mercury,
would be separated from the river only by a
arsenic and zinc. The toxins make any
permeable sand and dirt berm allowing
human or animal contact with river
contaminants to slowly leak back into the
hotspots, sediments and resident fish or
river, as the EPA admits. But they want us
shellfish risky. It is one of the largest
to look at the bright side: they chirpily
Superfund sites in the nation with 155
announced that savings on dredge transport
adjacent entities having likely responsibility.
will keep costs below $1 billion! A clear
The pollution is made more acute by the
concession to politics, rather than good
fact that some of the contaminants do not
science or the safety of the community.
break down easily or at all. The community,
A. mega-site such as the Willamette, with
th e largest stakeholder in th e Superfund
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST
T
p rocess and owner of th e river, now h as a
13 h otspots which could each h e an
chance to weigh in.
individual Superfund site, is going to be
expensive to fix, likely more than $1 billion.
The companies who damaged our river,
among the largest in the world, have
combined profits in the multi-billions and
can afford an effective cleanup.
Nonetheless, a business subset known as
the Lower Willamette Group, that includes
the City of Portland and the Port of
Portland, has indicated a likely lawsuit
directed at EPA with a massive Freedom of
Information Act Request for every email,
report, recording and note since 2012 that
have led to the clean-up plan. It’s a ploy
meant to intimidate, timed immediately
The proposed plan
On June 8, the Environmental Protection
Agency announced its proposed plan for the
cleanup of the lower Willamette, the 10
miles between the Broadway Bridge and the
Columbia River. The announcement starts a
60-day public comment period which is the
public’s chance to be heard. The proposal
includes a combination of methods:
dredging, capping and so-called natural
recovery (or more accurately, natural
spreading). Unfortunately the proposal does
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before the release of the proposal. It
displays a sense of entitlement that is
wholly inappropriate for publicly funded
bodies, such as the city and the port, who
purport to represent residents. They
blatantly act against community interest in
safe, healthy access to the river achieved
only with an effective plan. In spite of a city
study that concluded that every dollar spent
on the Superfund site will result in well over
a dollar return on investment, the city
continues to act mostly on behalf of
businesses who prefer to avoid paying to fix
the river.
Community Advisory Group
recommendations
The most important thing residents can
do is offer feedback on the proposal.
Residents, the largest stakeholder, have the
ability to push the cleanup in a more
effective direction. Check the Community
Advisory Group website,
PortlandHarborCAG.info or EPA’s website
for the proposed plan summary. There are
also hard copies at the Central and St. Johns
libraries. Feedback can be given online
either at the EPA or Yakama Nation
websites.
The advisory will be writing and posting a
response to the plan on our website as will
our consultant, Dr. Peter deFur. The
advisory group recommends a plan with less
reliance on “natural recovery” (aka, natural
spreading) and instead encourages an option
we call G+, not listed in the feasibility study,
that includes 1,000 acres of dredging and
will achieve goals within a known time
frame. We want a plan that results in fish
that are as safely edible as those
immediately upriver. This is a mega-site, 10
miles long, one of the largest and most
complex in the nation and should be'dealt
with effectively. The potentially responsible
parties are able to afford to fix what they’ve
damaged and residents require safety when
accessing the river and catching fish.
Barbara Quinn is a member o f the Portland
Harbor Community Advisory Group
PUBLIC FORUMS AND EVENTS
The EPA Is hosting community
hearings to gather feedback from
residents. See their website or the
Community Advisory's at
PortlandHarborCAG.info for times
and places.
■ June 21,7-9 p.m.. the Community
Advisory Group is hosting a public
forum at Harriet Tubman School at
2231 N. Flint. Ail are welcome.
Dr. Peter deFur will explain the
proposed plan in understandable
terms There will be a question and
answer session with panelists.
Avenues for feedback to the EPA will
be shared.
8 June 30, 6-9 p.m., The Portland
City Council hosts a public hearing at
University of Portland s Bauccio
Commons at 5000 N. Willamette
Blvd. also with panelists.
■ July 31, noon to 7 p.m., the
Willamette River Festival hosted by
the Community Advisory and St.
Johns Main Street Coalition on the
Cathedral Park waterfront. There will
be live music, food vendors, a boat
launching, environmental fair,
walking tours, and feedback methods