United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 10
Black and white aerial image with caption: mosaic composed of aerial photographs of Portland, Oregon.
Aerial photo from Swan to Sauvie Island, 1923. Photo Credit: US Army Corps of Engineers
Black and white line map with caption: Survey Map of 1852
Willamette River and the Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge during sunrise. Mt. Hood is visible in the background.
Tugboat pulling raft of logs over the river with bridge in background
Click on the video below to learn more about the history and geography of Portland Harbor, and what it means to the people of Oregon. This video was created by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
Video about the history and geography of Portland Harbor
Willamette River Barge Crossing, 1910
Workers at St. Johns Bridge Construction.
Left: Willamette River Barge Crossing, 1910. Photo Credit, Portland Archives.
Right:Workers at St. Johns Bridge Construction. Photo Credit: Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group
Map of the neighborhoods in and around Portland Harbor
Graphic showing movement of contaminants into water through stormwater runoff, industrial discharge, overwater structure releases, air deposition, waterway operations & traffic, and volatilization.
Bridge over the river at sunrise
Close up of Willard Tewee's hands, wearing three large silver and gold rings
Willard Tewee at Cathedral Park wearing a shirt that says "You are on Indian land!"
People paddling a canoe along the river
Laurie Danzuka speaking in front of an interpretive sign with St. Johns Bridge in the background
Graphic showing groups involved in the cleanup
Three people standing on a paved path, which winds through grass. St. Johns Bridge and the river are visible in the background.
Sign that says "fish advisory" with images of fish that can and cannot be eatern
People sitting at a table, talking and writing on a large piece of paper
Poster titled "Know Before You Go" with images of fish that can and cannot be eaten
Pile of eels on the shore
Sockeye salmon swimming in shallow water
Silhouette of a person walking along the shore of a river. City buildings are in the background.
Cleanup
Cleanup Areas
Interactive map of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site cleanup areas.
Plans
Under an agreement with EPA, the State of Oregon and the City of Portland have developed plans to guide the management of cleanup data and institutional controls (activity and use limitations to reduce people's exposure to contamination during and after cleanup and to protect the remedy). The purpose of this effort is to (1) ensure that information and data are presented in a format that is consistent and useful and (2) describe the institutional controls (ICs) and how harbor-wide and site-specific ICs will be documented, tracked, and communicated.
To learn how to get involved with the cleanup, please see the Get Involved chapter of this StoryMap.
People on a bridge with a banner that reads, "clean rivers = good jobs + equity"
Bridge over the river
Map with different neighborhoods colored in red, green, yellow, and blue
People carrying luggage walking along the side of a road
Three women with Black Lives Matter Sign in St. Johns, 2020
Children Sitting under the St. Johns Bridge.
Individual posing with protest signs for climate change.
Left: Three people with Black Lives Matter Signs in St. Johns.
Center: Children sitting under the St. Johns Bridge.
Right: Individual posing with protest signs for climate change.
Photo Credits, Sarah Taylor
The cleanup will impact many groups and communities with environmental justice (EJ) concerns. In addition to the six federally recognized Tribes (the Tribes), communities that border the Site and that have been or will be affected include African Americans; Black Americans; immigrants and refugees; houseless people of all backgrounds; businesses and industries; people who catch and eat fish, shellfish, and other seafood; and those who recreate along the Willamette River.
Local Stories
For many communities and local residents, the Willamette River and the Portland Harbor Superfund Site are a reflection of the quality of life and health.
This section of the StoryMap highlights individuals who share what the cleanup of the Willamette River means to them. Read and listen below to learn about their stories. Video recordings of the storytelling are available on the Portland Harbor Superfund Site Collaborative Group YouTube channel[EXIT].
Local stories shared at the Portland Harbor Collaborative Meetings are not subject to Agency review at any time. Therefore, the Story does not necessarily reflect the Agency’s views and no official endorsement by the Agency should be inferred.
Jessica Rojas, Previously with the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods
Jessica Rojas speaking to a group of people on the shore of the river
Jessica Rojas behind a sign that says "northeast coalition of neighborhoods"
Mamelang Memela, Portland Harbor Community Coalition and Braided Rivers Campaign
Mamelang Memela standing under a cherry tree in front of a river with a bridge
Slide showing the Willamette and Seine side by side.
Sarah Taylor, Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group and Braided Rivers Campaign
Three people walking through a small stream
Wilma Alcock, Portland Harbor Community Coalition
Wilma Alcock sitting outside
Laura Feldman, Willamette River Advocacy Group
Laura and Amyl kayaking on the river with an industrial building visible on shore
Yevgeniy Ruban, Slavic Community Center of Northwest
Yevgeniy sitting in a kayak and holding up two caught fish
Cherice Bock, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and Oregon Interfaith Power and Light
Headshot of Cherice Bock
Three people and a dog canoeing on a river
Jeri Jimenez, Portland Harbor Community Coalition
Jeri speaking into a microphone
Michael Pouncil, Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group
Michael Pouncil standing in front of a body of water.
Michael Pouncil kayaking on a river with trees along the riverbank.
Bob Sallinger, Willamette Riverkeeper
Bob Sallinger standing in front of the river and some boats.
Bob Sallinger climbing a bridge in Portland.
Bird perched on a bridge in Portland.
Teresa Gaddy, EcoTrust
Teresa Gaddy headshot
Teresa and others in a canoe on the Willamette River
Cassie Cohen, Portland Harbor Community Coalition
Cassie headshot
Willamette Cove Train the Trainers Group
Troy Clark, Columbia Slough Watershed Council and Friends of Smith & Bybee Lakes
Troy and a friend kayaking on the Willamette.
Two people standing on the shore of Willamette Cove.
Two dragon-shaped boats on the water.
Two people holding an object with steam coming out of it.
Two people on a boat holding up a sturgeon.
Left: Cassie Cohen and Michael Pouncil at Willamette Cove. Photo Credit: Willamette Week
Center Left: Dragon Boat Races. Photo Credit: Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group
Center Right:Water blessing at Cathedral Park. Photo Credit: Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group
Right:Sturgeon. Photo Credit: Portland Harbor Community Coalition
To better tell the story about the Portland Harbor Superfund Site cleanup, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will continue to maintain this StoryMap as a living story. EPA will continue to collect and obtain local stories of individuals in the community to show how the Portland Harbor Superfund Site became a Superfund site, how it is being cleaned up, and how people can get involved with the cleanup.
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Bridge over the river under blue skies
Screenshot of first page of Community Involvement Plan in English
Graphic showing the structure of the Collaborative Group, including the Steering Committee, members, conveners, and observers.
Public Forum, December 2019.
Community Leaders Group Meeting, June 2019.
EPA presents at 2017 Children's Clean Water Festival at University of Portland.
Left: Public Forum, December 2019.
Middle: Community Leaders Group Meeting, June 2019.
Right: EPA presents at 2017 Children's Clean Water Festival at University of Portland.
Photo Credits: EPA
Images throughout this StoryMap are labeled with captions and photo credits. If the caption is not visible below the image, click the icon in the top corner to view it. See an example below.
Example of an image with caption. Image Credit: EPA
Aerial photo from Swan to Sauvie Island, 1923. Photo Credit: US Army Corps of Engineers
Example of an image with caption. Image Credit: EPA
