Winter 2021
News & Updates on Portland Harbor Restoration and Assessment
Cultural Impacts of Contamination at Portland Harbor
The five Tribal members of the Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council have developed fact sheets to help interested members of the public more fully understand and appreciate each of the Tribe’s relationships with natural resources in and around the Portland Harbor Superfund Site and how these relationships have changed as a result of contamination in the lower Willamette River. Traditionally, tribal peoples spent substantial amounts of time in and around Portland Harbor and the lower Willamette River, forming unique bonds with the river’s natural resources. The Willamette River continues to provide sustenance to tribal peoples and support cultural, traditional, and religious activities, though in a lesser fashion due to contamination of natural resources.

We hope you find these fact sheets informative. Please share them with anyone who may want to learn more about natural resources, their cultural significance to the Tribal members of the Trustee Council, and these Tribes’ role in efforts to restore natural resources in and around the lower Willamette River.
Update on the Supplemental Restoration Plan

Thanks to everyone who submitted public comments on the Trustee Council's Draft Supplemental Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment this fall. The Trustee Council is currently reviewing and responding to your comments. The Final Supplemental Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment will be published early in 2021. In the meantime, information on the draft document is still available here.
Project Spotlight- PGE Harborton Restoration Project
Construction is wrapping up at Portland General Electric's (PGE's) Harborton Restoration Project. The project aims to transform long-held PGE property in Northwest Portland into high quality habitat for fish and wildlife, including species potentially injured by habitat loss resulting from decades of hazardous releases in the Portland Harbor Superfund site.

Restoration activities at the Harborton project included construction of side-channel floodplain habitat, removal of invasive plants, and preservation of natural areas for salmon, northern red-legged frogs, and other species. The site is located at the confluence of Multnomah Channel and Willamette River – a prime spot for juvenile salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey to rest and grow on their migration route to the Pacific Ocean. Project construction involved removing 154,000 cubic yards of historic dredge from the floodplain, installing 363 large wood pieces, and planting approximately 84,000 native plants. Earthwork and habitat structures were completed October 2020. Final planting efforts are currently underway.

Learn more about the PGE's Harborton Restoration Project here.
Portland Harbor in the News
The Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council is responsible for restoring natural resources that have been impacted by contamination in the Portland Harbor Superfund site. The purpose of this newsletter is to share information about the Trustee Council's work with those who are interested in our assessment and restoration efforts.