DEQ announces public meeting and extension on comment period for proposed cleanup of Portland Gas Manufacturing site in downtown Portland
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is extending the comment period on a proposed cleanup of contaminated Willamette River sediment and upland groundwater at the former Portland Gas Manufacturing site in downtown Portland. The comment period will now end on Jan. 30, 2017, and DEQ welcomes all comments from interested citizens on the proposed cleanup. The extension of the comment period was made based upon requests from the public.
DEQ will also hold a public meeting to present details of the proposed cleanup plan to the public. There will not be an opportunity for formal testimony at the meeting; however there will be time for questions after a short presentation. The public meeting will be held:
Dec. 13, 2016
6 – 8 p.m.
Third floor, Conference room A
700 NE Multnomah, Portland OR
Note: The building will only be accessible by the main lobby doors on ground level.
The former Portland Gas Manufacturing site was located in a five block area in downtown Portland, bounded by NW 2nd Ave. on the west, NW Glisan Street on the north, the Willamette River on the east and NW Davis Street on the south. The manufacturing of petroleum gas from coal, carbureted water, and liquid petroleum occurred in this area from 1860 to 1913. Manufacturing byproducts impacted soil, groundwater, and river sediment in the area during its operation. As part of a 2009 order with DEQ, NW Natural characterized contamination and completed an analysis (feasibility study) of possible cleanup actions for contamination impacting the Willamette River.
The proposed cleanup plan includes a combination of sediment and debris removal in the river (up-river of the Steel Bridge), capping with active treatment compounds, and enhanced natural recovery. DEQ has proposed this action to address both in-water contamination and ongoing releases from upland groundwater. In addition to these direct actions, long-term monitoring is proposed.
To view the proposal, and for more information about how to comment, see the public notice at: http://www.oregon.gov/deq/Pages/publicnotice.aspx
Contact:
Daniel Hafley, Northwest Region Cleanup Program, Portland, hafley.dan@deq.state.or.us, 503-229-5417