Portland Harbor Superfund Site

The area from Swan Island, at RM 9, to the Multnomah Channel, at RM 3, is a federally designated Superfund site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). This designation is a result of decades of pollution that have created highly contaminated river sediments in portions of this reach. As a result of the Superfund designation, an intensive process to study the area and clean it up is currently under way. The overall process is being led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and various federal natural resource agencies also taking part. The goal is to remove or treat areas of the river contaminated with heavy metals, DDT, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), petroleum-based materials, and other substances. Upland areas along the river that often acted as sources of pollution also are being treated or cleaned up, and in some places habitat will be restored. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the river and uplands present no risk to fish, wildlife, and people. In spite of this area’s history of contamination, it is safe to paddle in.