A Fresh Plan to Clean Portland’s River and Save the Island

Portland is famous for its parks, trees, and rivers, but a hidden problem lurks in the Willamette River. A 10‑mile stretch near the harbor has been listed as a Superfund site since 2000, meaning it is heavily polluted from past industrial use. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a firm deadline: cleanup work must start by 2028. What happens next will decide how safe the river is for everyone and how much it costs local taxpayers. The river’s contamination has hurt many people, especially Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color who rely on the water for fishing, gathering, and cultural practices. Fixing the problem is not just an environmental job; it’s also a matter of justice. Yet how we clean the river matters as much as whether we do it. The current cleanup plan is huge and expensive. It would dredge about 5 million tons of polluted sediment from the harbor, move it by truck for over a decade, and ship it 100 miles up the Columbia River to landfills. That could cost more than $6 billion, with most money spent on transportation rather than restoring the river itself. The plan would also push a large amount of carbon into the atmosphere.A smarter approach exists closer to home. Just three miles upstream lies Ross Island, a valuable natural and cultural site that has been damaged by a century of resource extraction. The island’s lagoon is now 130 feet deep and prone to harmful algal blooms. Instead of sending the contaminated sediment far away, it could be deposited in Ross Island’s lagoon and capped with clean material. This would reduce transport distance, cut costs dramatically, and help restore the island at the same time. Only a small fraction of the sediment—about 7%—is truly hazardous and must go to a special landfill. The rest could be safely contained on Ross Island, speeding up the island’s restoration and saving billions of dollars. The plan would also protect local residents from rising utility bills and future air‑pollution risks. EPA says that the parties who caused the pollution get to decide how it’s cleaned up. Local and state leaders must therefore propose a better, science‑based solution to the EPA. A collaborative effort involving state agencies and local groups can make this happen, while keeping community voices at the center of every decision. If Portland’s leaders act now, they can choose a path that saves money, restores the river, and protects residents. It’s an opportunity to solve two long‑standing environmental problems with one thoughtful plan.