Get Ready: The Lower Willamette River is a valuable natural resource. However, Portland Harbor, a section of the River between the Broadway Bridge and Sauvie Island, has contaminants which are harmful to people, fish and wildlife. EPA is taking action to make it a cleaner, healthier place to live, work and play. A Proposed Plan that will be released this spring will outline EPA’s recommended path for achieving those goals!
Get Engaged: It’s not yet time for the public comment period. The most effective and meaningful comments will be those which the community submits after reviewing the proposed plan when it is released in April. Also, only comments submitted to EPA during the official 60-day public comment period will become part of the official record for the Portland Harbor Proposed Plan. During this public comment period (April-May) EPA will offer a series of public meetings. During these meetings, EPA will discuss this proposed plan, answer questions and accept formal comments. EPA will then respond to all formal public comments after the comment period ends and consider them in making a final decision. Check out some handy step-by-step tips for writing effective public comments prepared by the Environmental Law Institute!
But right now is the time to learn more, ask questions and hear information from EPA about Portland Harbor before the proposed plan is released.
Get Informed: Come to one of the upcoming Community Information sessions offered by EPA. During the community session EPA will:
- Provide background on Portland Harbor
- Discuss why the cleanup matters to you and the community
- Explain why your input is very important and how you can be engaged
Visit the EPA Portland Harbor website to see the most up to date schedule of community information sessions, register for the webinar or learn more.
UPCOMING COMMUNITY INFORMATION SESSIONS:
- February 18th, Woodrow Wilson High School, 1151 SW Vermont Street. Open House, 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm. Community Information Session begins, 6:30 pm.
- March 3rd, Webinar Community Information Session, 7:00 pm REGISTER NOW!
- Thursday March 17th, Gray’s Landing (Community Room) 0650 SW Lowell Street. Open House, 6:30 – 7:00 pm. Community Information Session, 7:00 – 8:30 pm.
- Wednesday, March 23rd, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) 10301 NE Glisan Street. Open House, 6:30 – 7:00 pm. Community Information Session, 7:00 – 8:30 pm.
- Saturday March 26th, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) 1945 SE Water Avenue. Open House, 11:30 am – 12 noon. Community Information Session, 12 noon – 1:30 pm. This session will feature a graphic facilitator who will capture community values via artistic illustrations.