Superfund Information Systems: Site Profile

Superfund Site:

PORTLAND HARBOR
PORTLAND, OR

Cleanup Activities

Sign up for this Superfund site’s mailing list

On this page:

On related pages:

Background

Portland Harbor Site Background

The Portland Harbor Superfund Site includes an in-river and an upland portion of the lower Willamette River, contaminated from decades of industrial use along the Willamette River. The Portland Harbor Superfund Site was added to EPA's National Priorities List in December 2000.

Water and sediment at the Portland Harbor Site are contaminated with many hazardous substances, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins/furans, pesticides and heavy metals. These compounds have been found to be harmful to people and the environment. Health risks at the site are great enough for cleanup to be needed under the Superfund law.

The Willamette River is an integral feature of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, which is home to over 500,000 people. The harbor is an international portal for commerce; dozens of industries 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.

Final Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site:  After reviewing and responding to input from over 1,100 commenters, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has issued the final ESD that identifies changes to the Selected Remedy in the 2017 Record of Decision (ROD) at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. This ESD occurred because EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) issued a reduction in the cancer calculation for benzo(a)pyrene which is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and a contaminant of concern at the Site. No substantive changes were made from the Proposed ESD to this Final ESD. The full ESD and other supporting documents are now available at the links below:

*Please note that this final ESD includes a responsiveness summary (in Appendix B starting on page 162 of 500) where EPA replied to all the comments on the proposed ESD.

Portland Harbor Pre-Remedial Design Investigation and Baseline Sampling Work (Pre-RD Project):  The Pre-Remedial Design (Pre-RD) Project is a two-year sampling and analysis program being conducted under an Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent (ASAOC) signed between the EPA and a group of four potentially responsible parties (PRPs). The four signatories (the Pre-RD Group) are Arkema Inc., Evraz Inc. NA, Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc., and The Marine Group. The Pre-RD Project collected a portion of the needed data identified in EPA’s Record of Decision (ROD). For more information about this project, please see the most up-to-date EPA and Pre-RD Group joint fact sheet.

Proposed Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD):  EPA released a proposed Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) for a public comment period that ended on December 21, 2018. This 60-day comment period incorporated a 30-day extension request that EPA has granted. This proposed ESD documented EPA’s plan for changing some of the cleanup levels for one of the contaminants of concern (carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or cPAHs) in the selected remedy. An updated health risk assessment from EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System shows that benzo(a)pyrene or BaP (a type of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon or cPAH) is less toxic for people who contact or ingest the chemical than previously thought. EPA must consider how this updated information affects the final cleanup plan (also known as the Record of Decision or ROD) in the proposed ESD because cPAHs are a contaminant of concern for the Site.

The proposed ESD and related documents are listed below:

Final Record of Decision for Portland Harbor, January 2017:  The EPA issued the Record of Decision (ROD) that selects the remedy for cleanup at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site in January 2017. The Selected Remedy is a final action for the in-river portion of the site from approximately river mile 1.9 to 11.8. We selected Alternative F Modified as the final remedy. Alternative F Modified is designed to reduce risks to human health and the environment to acceptable levels and actively remediate (using dredging, capping, enhanced natural recovery, and monitored natural recovery) 394 acres of contaminated sediments and 23,305 lineal feet of river bank. This final remedy will cost approximately $1.05 billion and take about 13 years to complete.

EPA received input from over 5,300 commenters between June 9 and September 6, 2016 on the Proposed Cleanup Plan for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. We thank everyone who submitted comments. All comments that were submitted to EPA are available in the Administrative Record (see Site Documents and Data page). Our responses to comments are included in the Responsiveness Summary in Part 3 of the ROD.

The Record of Decision and related documents are listed below:

 

Top of Page

What Has Been Done to Clean Up the Site?

 Agreements & Orders for Remedial Design:  For a comprehensive list of all agreements and orders for remedial design to-date, please visit the "Site Documents & Data" section.

Past Early Action Cleanup Areas are locations where EPA already started work to clean up the Portland Harbor Superfund Site before the final cleanup plan was signed. Early action cleanup areas are parts of a Superfund site that may become a threat to people or the environment before the long-term cleanup is completed. Within the Site, there are several early action areas, listed below. Note: Additional documents associated with these early action areas are available upon request.

 

Top of Page

What Is the Current Site Status?

 

 

December 2019 - Final Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD):  After reviewing and responding to input from over 1,100 commenters, the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued the final ESD in December 2019 that identified changes to the Selected Remedy in the 2017 Record of Decision (ROD) at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. This ESD occurred because EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) issued a reduction in the cancer calculation for benzo(a)pyrene which is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and a contaminant of concern at the Site. No substantive changes were made from the Proposed ESD to this Final ESD. A two-page fact sheet and full administrative record are also available.

Final Portland Harbor Baseline Sampling Plan Work Complete:  In November 2019, all site-wide baseline sampling work (including delivery of data which EPA intends to use for pre- and post-construction monitoring in addition to targeted sampling during cleanup to evaluate progress toward cleanup goals) was completed by the Pre-Remedial Design (Pre-RD) Group under the December 2017 agreement with EPA. Please see the 'Background' section of this website for more information.

Final Record of Decision for Portland Harbor Issued (January 2017): EPA issued the Record of Decision (ROD) that selects the remedy for cleanup at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site in January 2017. We selected Alternative F Modified as the final remedy.

Alternative F Modified is designed to reduce risks to human health and the environment to acceptable levels and actively remediate (using dredging, capping, enhanced natural recovery, and monitored natural recovery) 394 acres of contaminated sediments and 23,305 lineal feet of river bank. This final remedy will cost approximately $1.05 billion and take about 13 years to complete.

The EPA received input from over 5,300 commenters between June 9 and September 6, 2016 (90 days) on the Proposed Cleanup Plan for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. We thank everyone who submitted comments. All comments that were submitted to EPA are available in the Administrative Record (please see the ‘Site Reports and Documents’ box to the right). Our responses to comments are included in the Responsiveness Summary in Part 3 of the ROD.

The Record of Decision and related documents are listed below:

EPA hosted community information sessions in Portland on March 7-9, and a webinar on March 14, to present the details of the final remedy.

Top of Page

Sampling and Monitoring

Portland Harbor Superfund Site Data Portal

This interim website provides public access to view and download analytical data and reports associated with environmental studies for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. All data sets and reports available in this portal have been approved by EPA to use in designing future cleanup actions. When available, reports associated with data collection and analysis may also be viewed and downloaded for each study. More data will be added as it becomes available. EPA is also exploring better ways to manage and display data for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site.

Exit Portland Harbor Superfund Site Data Portal

Top of Page

Emergency Response and Removal

Early-action cleanup areas have addressed immediate threats to human health and the environment at six areas of the site. EPA completed early actions at the Gasco-NW Natural/Siltronic and Terminal 4 areas in 2005 and 2009, respectively. Cleanups within the Portland Harbor site, Triangle Park and U.S. Moorings early-action areas have been completed and are being monitored. Additional early actions are ongoing or near completion. They include Arkema, a former pesticide manufacturing facility on the southwest bank of the Willamette River, and River Mile 11E located between the Fremont and Broadway Bridges on the east side of the Willamette River.

Top of Page

Enforcement Information

EPA has identified at over 150 Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, including businesses and local, state and federal government agencies.

EPA - PRP Coordination Meeting:  On December 4, 2018, EPA met with Potentially Responsible Parties to discuss next steps on the Portland Harbor cleanup. EPA provided this presentation and reviewed these frequently asked questions for remedial design with PRPs during this meeting.

Top of Page

Superfund