Portland Harbor Community Coalition is asking allies to submit written comments to DEQ calling on them to do a robust cleanup of Willamette Cove, an 11-acre parcel of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, and one of the only open areas for community access to the River in St. Johns.

Samantha Hernandez, an intern with CSE and Portland Harbor Community Coalition (PHCC), explains in this article how communities currently use the site and the importance of a full cleanup.

DEQ's current plan is vastly inadequate to current and future uses of the site. It leaves contamination in place, underestimates the long-term costs of maintenance, then uses the underestimated costs to demonstrate that the less-protective option is the most cost-effective.

An adequate cleanup would:

• Prioritize bioremediation with fungus and plants.
• Remove all toxic soils that cannot be remediated.
• Ensure treaty fishing rights for Tribes and Tribal members are upheld.
• Protect houseless community members sleeping and staying at the site who face direct exposure.
• Ensure the cleanup is not jeopardized by flooding and seismic events.
• Allow for community access in perpetuity.

More information and talking points can be found here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x1exBdWRXaJDjab76Nqqjv4nLdI-MJA0/view?usp=sharing