6
Smoke Signals
AUGUST 1, 2019
DEQ plans early August decision on Blue Heron agreement
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
OREGON CITY – The state De-
partment of Environmental Qual-
ity plans on reaching a decision
in early August on a prospective
purchaser agreement with the
Grand Ronde Tribe regarding the
23-acre Blue Heron Paper Mill site
after holding a public meeting on
Wednesday, July 17, at the Muse-
um of the Oregon Territory.
A prospective purchaser agree-
ment would release the Grand
Ronde Tribe from liability regard-
ing existing hazardous substance
releases at or from the property,
which has a long history of in-
dustrial usage dating back to the
mid-1800s.
The public meeting was attended
by approximately 30 people with
about half of the audience being ei-
ther Department of Environmental
Quality or Tribal government staff
members.
Three public comments were
accepted after an hour of presen-
tations, including one from Grand
Ronde Tribal member Ann Lewis.
Cheryl Grabham, Regional Solu-
tions Team liaison with the Depart-
ment of Environmental Quality,
called the Blue Heron Paper Mill
site a high priority project.
Prospective Purchaser Program
Coordinator Cheyenne Chapman
said there are currently more than
200 prospective purchaser agree-
ments in effect statewide. Approved
by the Legislature in 1995, the
agreements are designed to expe-
dite the cleanup of contaminated
properties and encourage property
transactions that would otherwise
not occur because of liabilities
associated with purchasing a con-
taminated site.
Chapman said the two-party,
government-to-government agree-
ment between the state and Tribe
is a “very good fit” and will provide
a substantial public benefit since
it will clean up and redevelop the
property, which has not been in use
since 2011.
Grand Ronde Ceded Lands Man-
ager Michael Karnosh gave a brief
history lesson of the Grand Ronde
Tribe’s connection to Willamette
Falls from time immemorial to cur-
rent-day dipnet fishing and Pacific
lamprey harvesting. His presenta-
tion was titled “A Plan for Tribal
Re-acquisition and Stewardship
at Willamette Falls” and explained
why the Tribe is culturally inter-
ested in purchasing the property.
Mark Pugh, project manager
with the Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality, reviewed the
potential cleanup activities that
will be required at the Blue Heron
site, which includes more than 50
buildings and structures.
Environmental concerns range
from asbestos and lead-based
paints in the buildings to mercury
and polychlorinated biphenyls in
the soil. However, Pugh said, in-
termittent flooding of the property
over the years has keep soil con-
tamination lower than one might
expect.
According to a Scope of Work
released by DEQ on July 1, the
Tribe “intends to conduct investi-
Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez
Ceded Lands Program Manager Michael Karnosh makes a presentation about
the history of the Willamette Falls area and plans for cultural re-engagement
during the Department of Environmental Quality public meeting on the
Grand Ronde Tribe’s proposed prospective purchaser agreement to buy the
former Blue Heron Paper Mill site in Oregon City on Wednesday, July 17.
of Euro-American settlers that the
area became contaminated. He
suggested that either the federal
government, state or Metro region-
al government, or a combination
thereof, foot the bill.
Lewis said she was most con-
cerned about what would occur
if Tribal artifacts or remains are
found on the site as demolition and
development occurs and whether
federal guidelines would be fol-
lowed.
Chapman said any finding of
artifacts or human remains would
require an immediate work stop-
page and confidentially contacting
the Tribe under an inadvertent
discovery plan.
“As a descendant of the Clacka-
mas and the Molalla Tribes, I would
say there is a really good chance
that my ancestors were here,”
Lewis said. “I understand that the
development is taking place and
I am happy to see that a cleanup
is going to happen. My concern is
for artifacts and possible remains.
… Our people, we all know, were
at the falls and were fishing there
and were camping there. I am con-
cerned about the artifacts and the
sacred things that are going to be
under those buildings. … I would
like to see that remains be removed
and taken back to Grand Ronde
where they can be handled the way
they should be because they weren’t
for the last two centuries.”
Other Tribal government em-
ployees in attendance besides
Hernandez, Karnosh and White
were Deputy Press Secretary Sara
Thompson, Senior Staff Attorney
Jennifer Biesack, Historic Preser-
vation Manager Briece Edwards
and Senior Archaeologist Jessica
Curteman. Tribal member Tracy
Moreland also attended, but did not
publicly comment.
Additional public comments re-
garding the proposed prospective
purchaser agreement were accept-
ed through Wednesday, July 31,
after which the Department of En-
vironmental Quality will consider
the comments and issue a decision.
Chapman said after the meeting
that it is rare for the Department of
Environmental Quality to receive a
comment that grinds the prospec-
tive purchaser agreement process
to a halt.
gation and remediation utilizing
hearing, one attendee inquired if
cleanup standards most applicable
the Grand Ronde Tribe plans on
to the type of development, and in
building a casino at the Blue Heron
a phased approach over the course
site.
of the property’s future redevelop-
Hernandez said that the Tribe
ment and reuse.”
has had no conversations about
High priority remedial actions
building a casino in Oregon City
include cleaning up a waste pile
and reiterated that the Tribe has
beneath a bleach plant, two catch
invested millions into Spirit Moun-
basins with tailrace sediment and
tain Casino in recent years and has
leaking underground storage tanks.
no intention of abandoning that
After signing a consent order with
gaming facility. In addition, Ore-
DEQ, the Tribe will have 60 days to
gon’s one casino per Tribe on Tribal
prepare an initial summary report,
land policy would make building a
a year to create an “overarching”
new gaming facility in Oregon City
work plan, 18 months to start work
politically difficult.
on the high priority remedial ac-
During the public comment peri-
tions and two years to start working
od, Oregon City resident Jim Nicita
on other potential remedial actions.
said that he could not “express the
“The levels are generally ac-
joy and happiness of myself and my
ceptable for occupational use,”
neighbors in this community that the
Pugh said. “If the site were to be
Grand Ronde Tribe is coming home.”
developed for residential use, there
Nicita also said that he thinks the
would probably be more cleanup
Tribe should not have to bear any
needed.”
of the costs of cleaning up the site
The order of consent lists Tribal
since Native Americans keep the
Engineering and Public Works
Willamette Falls area pristine and
Manager Jesse White, who attend-
that it was only after the arrival
ed the meeting, as the
project manager.
The Grand Ronde
Tribal Council voted
to purchase two prop-
erties in Clackamas
County, including the
Blue Heron Paper Mill
site, on Wednesday,
July 10, and approved
a supplemental bud-
get of $17 million to
acquire both proper-
ties. During the July
10 meeting, Tribal
Council Chief of Staff
Stacia Hernandez said
the Tribe is initially
planning to spend up
to $3 million on clean-
up activities.
D u r i n g a q u e s - Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez answers a question during the Department of
t i o n - a n d - a n s w e r Environmental Quality public meeting on the Grand Ronde Tribe’s agreement to purchase
session at the DEQ the former Blue Heron Paper Mill site in Oregon City on Wednesday, July 17.