portland harbor
BETWEEN RM 3.5 & 9.2 IN PORTLAND HARBOR
The Portland Harbor Superfund site encompasses a stretch of the Willamette River centered around the downtown area of Portland, Oregon. Site boundaries will ultimately be established wherever hazardous substances are located in Willamette River sediments, and will include properties that are contributing contaminated water, soil, or groundwater to the River. It will likely be at least three years before investigations have been completed to determine where hazardous substances are posing excess risks to people or the environment and what cleanup actions could be effective in dealing with these risks. The river carries heavy marine traffic and supports a thriving commercial port. A multitude of industrial facilities line the banks on both sides of the river. Private and municipal wastewater outfalls add effluent to Portland Harbor. Activities which have degraded the river include hazardous waste and petroleum product storage; marine construction; oil gasification operations; wood treating; agricultural chemical production; chlorine production; ship loading, maintenance, and repair; and rail car manufacturing. These multiple sources of contamination resulted in high levels of hazardous substances being present in the sediments of the Willamette River. The Willamette River is an integral feature of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, home to over 500,000 people. The harbor is an international portal for commerce, and dozens of industries located within the site provide economic sustainability to the community. The Lower Willamette is also a popular area for recreation, including fishing and boating. The river provides a critical migratory corridor and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead, including endangered runs of steelhead and chinook. The area holds great importance to several tribes as a natural and cultural resource. Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed through federal and state actions. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is the lead agency for upland site cleanup. The EPA is the lead agency for in-water work. Trustees overseeing the investigation and cleanup include six tribal governments and other state and federal agencies.
Hazardous Ranking Score
50 / 100
A score of 28.5 or higher qualifies a site for the Superfund National Priority List.Subscribe
Timeline
Contaminants & Health Effects
Census
101 |
People living within a 1 mile radius |
$105,794 |
Average Income |
43 |
Occupied homes |
