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DEQ describes long timeline, rising costs and community steps for Portland Harbor Superfund cleanup
Summary
DEQ told the Natural Resources Subcommittee that Portland Harbor is a complex Superfund site with more than 200 potential responsible parties; remedial design is underway across project areas, dredging could involve millions of cubic yards, and final cleanup costs are now expected to exceed the ROD-era estimate, possibly into multiple billions.
Matt Davis of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Jim McKenna of the governor’s Natural Resource Policy Team briefed the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Feb. 18 on the agency’s environmental cleanup program and the status of the Portland Harbor Superfund site.
DEQ said the cleanup program’s primary mission is to protect human health and the environment from releases of hazardous substances and that much of the program’s work occurs through voluntary cleanups initiated by property owners. The agency reported a biennial program budget of about $61 million and roughly 90 full-time equivalent staff working on cleanup activities statewide.
Jim McKenna described Portland Harbor as one of EPA’s "mega sites": a roughly 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River, with more than 200 potential responsible parties (PRPs) and over 350 adjacent facilities producing a wide mix…
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