Arts and Economy Committee urges mayor to sign Swimmable Cities charter; sends resolution to full council

PORTLAND — The Portland Arts and Economy Committee on June 3 voted unanimously to send to the full City Council a resolution urging the mayor to make Portland a signatory to the Swimmable Cities charter, a global initiative aimed at making urban waterways safe and accessible for swimming.

The committee’s action, adopted 4-0 as amended, came after invited testimony from city staff, tribal representatives, environmental groups, business and community organizations who described recent investments and ongoing projects to improve conditions in the Willamette River and expand equitable access to the river for recreation.

The resolution asks the mayor to join the international Swimmable Cities alliance and recognizes local organizations that have led river access and restoration efforts. The committee approved an amendment adding the Human Access Project, Black Swimming Initiative, Willamette Riverkeeper, Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission, Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, Portland Metro Chamber and Lloyd EcoDistrict to the resolution’s list of acknowledged stakeholders.

City testimony emphasized the role of large infrastructure investments in improving river health. Priya Dhanapal, deputy administrator for public works, said Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services Big Pipe Project was a decades-long effort and cited a $1.4 billion, 20-year investment completed on time and on budget that reduced overflows into the Willamette. "Before the big pipe, Portland experienced an average of 50 combined sewer overflows each year… The system now prevents 94% of overflows to the Willamette and 99% to the Columbia Slough," Dhanapal said.

Tribal and environmental witnesses framed the resolution as cultural and ecological restoration. Jeremy Fivecrows, representing the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission, said the Willamette and its tributaries are among treaty-reserved "usual and accustomed" fishing places for the Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs and Nez Perce tribes and described swimming access as linked to cultural and spiritual connections to the water. Elaine Placido, executive director of the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, noted that the partnership is a Clean Water Act–established National Estuary Program working to make waters "fishable and swimmable."

Business and event officials tied river activation to economic activity. John Isaacs, executive vice president of public affairs for the Portland Metro Chamber, said waterfront events and river access support local small businesses and cited two state measures he said complement the resolution: House Bill 2291 (emergency stabilization funds for signature festivals and waterfront activation) and House Bill 3314 (funding to address harmful algae in Ross Island Lagoon). "Activating the river and the waterfront is one of the most simple, actionable, and impactful strategies we can implement immediately," Isaacs said.

Speakers representing community access and equity urged the city to address historical disparities in aquatic access. Morgan Spriggs, co‑founder of the Black Swimming Initiative, cited U.S. Swimming–derived and CDC provisional figures and warned of persistent disparities in swimming ability and drowning risk: "Nearly 64 percent of Black individuals in the United States lack basic swimming skills," Spriggs said, and drowning death rates for African American children remain higher than for white peers.

The Human Access Project described local site work and fundraising to expand safe access and address water-quality constraints. Willie Levinson, Human Access Project, said volunteers and partner crews removed about 200 tons of concrete over several years at a site between Hawthorne and OMSI and that the organization has raised roughly $1 million toward Ross Island Lagoon work; he said the group is at 30% design and is seeking state funding to reach 90% design.

On the floor, Councilor Clark moved the amendment to add named organizations to the resolution’s acknowledgements; the committee accepted the amendment by voice/roll call (Clark: aye; Dunphy: aye; Smith: aye; Green: aye). Clark then moved adoption of the amended resolution urging the mayor to make Portland a signatory to the Swimmable Cities charter and to send the item to the full council with a recommendation to adopt. The motion passed on a 4-0 roll call (Clark: aye; Dunphy: aye; Smith: aye; Green: aye). The committee recorded the outcome as "referred to the full council with recommendation to be adopted."

The committee’s discussion emphasized both public‑health and economic benefits of improved river access and included repeated references to ongoing projects (Big Pipe, removal of concrete and restoration sites, dock additions, and Ross Island Lagoon mitigation) and state funding requests. Committee members also noted the need to prioritize swim lessons and community‑center programming to expand equitable access.

The committee chair said the resolution will go forward to the full council and closed the meeting. The Arts and Economy Committee’s next meeting was announced for June 24.