FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 6, 2007

Contact: Ben Sherman, NOAA
(301) 713-3060

Glenda Powell, NOAA Office of Response and Restoration
(301) 713-4246 ext. 129

Public Meeting for Portland Harbor Superfund Site Scheduled
Trustee Council: Injury to Natural Resources Considered Possible

Members of the public are invited to a meeting on April 11 that will begin the national resource damage assessment process for the Portland Oregon Harbor Superfund clean-up site.

At the meeting the Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council will present information that supports moving forward with a natural resource damage assessment for the Portland Harbor Superfund site. Made up of state, federal and tribal trustees, the Council is presenting a "Preassessment Screen" (PAS), which concludes that some animals could be injured by contaminants within the Portland Harbor area. Of specific concern are fish that reside or move through the harbor including salmon, lamprey, and sturgeon, the animals they feed on, and fish predators like osprey, mink and otter.

The PAS also concludes that hazardous chemicals have been released into the harbor and that these chemical concentrations are high enough to potentially cause adverse effects to natural resources. It is unlikely that the clean-up activities will be sufficient to remedy all the injury to natural resources without further action. The Trustee Council’s priority is to integrate natural resource damage assessment activities with the ongoing clean-up process.

The Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council includes representatives from the State of Oregon, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe.

What: Presentation of Preassessment Screen to the Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group

Meeting is open to the public.

When: April 11, 2007; 6:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. PDT

Where: City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services Water Lab
6543 North Burlington
Portland, Oregon

Phone: 503-823-5600

Portland Harbor Watershed Database and Mapping Project Software and Data:  http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/portlandharbor/

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