The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced an agreement in principle with the city of Portland and state of Oregon to help fund detailed cleanup plans for the 10-mile Portland Harbor Superfund.
“ This agreement with the city of Portland and the state of Oregon represents another important milestone in our progress toward cleaning up the Lower Willamette River ,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler .
The city and state have agreed to provide up to $24 million in reimbursement funding to act as an incentive for responsible parties to come forward to complete detailed cleanup designs across the entire Superfund site.
According to the EPA, this agreement aims to encourage all responsible parties to step up quickly as the offer expires at year end.
The agreement will help advance EPA’s goal to work with responsible parties to achieve 100% cleanup design for 100% of the site by the end of this year.
Background
EPA placed the Portland Harbor Superfund Site on the Superfund National Priorities List in 2000. In 2017, EPA issued the Record of Decision or final cleanup plan for the site, a 10-mile stretch of the Lower Willamette River, located in Portland, Oregon.
EPA is working with over 100 Responsible Parties and coordinating with tribal, state, federal and local partners to implement the Record of Decision.
The company is actively negotiating agreements with Responsible Parties to develop remedial design plans and move forward with Early Action Area, or hot spot, cleanups.
Active cleanup construction work is expected to take approximately 13 years and cost approximately $1 billion.