A bi-monthly round-up of news about the Willamette and Columbia

November 2, 2012  
Swan Island Image:  Rivers Office
Events
Events, Trips, and Other River Happenings       
 

Ross Island Paddle. Sunday, November 4, 10 am. $39. "Go paddling in your backyard! You can even ride your bike to our new location to make it a no driving recreational day! We will leave from the Boat House dock along the Eastside Esplanade near SE Water and Clay and explore the backwaters of the Willamette River between Ross Island and Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge."  Alder Creek


River Discovery-Willamette Falls. November 10, 9 am to Noon. launching from Sportcraft Marina boat ramp in Oregon City, 1701 Clackamette Drive, 97045. Join Willamette Riverkeeper on the last River Discovery trip of 2012 with a paddling adventure to the base of the Willamette's most impressive feature. To register: email kate@willametteriverkeeper.org to join us in your own canoe or kayak, or request one of our canoes at no cost (although you must recruit your own paddling partner).     

 

River In Focus Talk--Columbia Riverkeeper presents toxic fish findings.  Wednesday, November 14, Noon to 1 pm. Portland Building Auditorium, 1120 SW Fifth. Details to follow on Rivers Office website.

 

Portland By Cycle Autumn Rides: Stormwater Gardens & Swales, Oh My! November 17, 10 am to 12:30 pm. "A tour of innovative street designs that help protect our watershed - this time with rain!"

 

Should Metro ask voters to approve a 5-year parks and natural areas levy? "Metro manages ... more than 16,000 acres of land on behalf of the region  ... With the future of these special places in mind, the Metro Council is considering the best way to care for our region's parks and natural areas. Take the online survey by November 19...." Metro It's Our Nature, October 2012

 

 Portland Parks & Recreation Environmental Education Wreath Sale. December 1, 1-4 pm. Director Park. "Portland Parks Environmental Education Program will be selling wreaths that have been created from the greens of pruned park trees and have been woven into wreaths, and decorated with cones, berries, & bows! Last year over 500 students were given scholarships to attend Environmental Education Summer Camp programs from the sales of wreaths..."

 

news from neighborhood2Neighborhood

Now th at it's clean, city leaders work to turn the Willamette River back into Portland's front yard. "When planners and citizen activists laid out the first big plan for downtown 40 years ago, the Willamette River was an obstacle to be overcome. When they updated their thinking in 1988, the water had become something to be admired from a safe distance -- say the height of downtown's two-story-high harbor wall. Now as they craft a blueprint to carry the central city to 2035, Portland leaders hope to turn Bridgetown's defining geographic feature into something more immediate in Oregonians' lives: something you can literally immerse yourself in if you're so inclined." OregonLive.com, October 22. 

 

Official Says Portland's Sewage Overflow Successfully Protects River. OPB.org, October 31

 

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UP cleanup for expansion guided by church teaching. "The University of Portland is intent on Catholic social teaching as it prepares ground for an expansion of its campus on the city's north side. Cleanup of a 35-acre polluted parcel on the east bank of the Willamette River is making way for an environmental science building, a baseball stadium, a public trail and improved habitat for fish. The scenic acreage will probably include a boathouse for the new crew team, a grass soccer field, parking and storage." Catholic Sentinel, October 26  (Image: Rivers Office)

 

Arkema, one of Portland Harbor Superfund's dirtiest sites, launches long-delayed cleanup. "Arkema's site, where industrial toxics were produced from 1941 to 2001, sits on the riverfront east of U.S. 30, just south of the Willamette railroad bridge. The $10 million barrier wall, made of the same material as a clay landfill liner, covers the southern half of the site, where DDT manufacturing took place from 1947 to 1954. It's being laid about 30 feet from the riverbank." OregonLive.com, October 23  (Image: DEQ)

 

Arkema work could signal more Willamette development. Portland Business Journal, October 23 

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Multnomah County's 'aquatic squatters' may have to weigh anchor under new state rules. "Increasing numbers of complaints from riverside residents, unhappy to see blue-tarped boats anchored outside their picture windows for months on end, have drawn notice from Multnomah County river patrol deputies, who do their best to keep up with each new arrival." OregonLive.com, October 24

 

The Willamette River is not up for grabs, even by the (potentially) homeless. "By what stretch of Jimmy Buffet logic is it defensible to sail the Willamette River into downtown Portland, drop anchor, crack a cold one and call it good for -- well, for as long as you wish?" Oregonian editorial, October 28

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Businesses question EPA over Willamette fish study. "Three major Portland waterfront businesses want federal officials to reconsider methodology they're using to determine Portland harbor clean-up options" Portland Business Journal, October 26 

 

Industry-funded study tracks fishing in polluted Portland Harbor. OregonLive.com, October 30

 

Superfund study gets EPA's, River Keeper's attention. "As businesses question how much Willamette River cleanup is needed, per the Enviromental Protection Agency's Superfund program, other interests say the process is indeed moving in the right direction." Portland Business Journal, October 29

 

Survey Tallies People Eating Fish From Portland Harbor Superfund Site. "A new study found 7,800 people are eating contaminated resident fish from the Portland Harbor Superfund site. As The Oregonian reported today, the study was funded by three of the industries that are responsible for cleaning up the site." OPB Ecotrope, October 31

 

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A Culture Moves East in Portland, Ore. "The east bank of the Willamette River in Portland, Ore., shows up on few tourist maps because, until recently, not many tourists went there. Unapologetically industrial, the area, Central Eastside (part of the Inner Southeast), stretches a dozen blocks from the water to Southeast 12th Avenue, with few residences and little green space in between." New York Times, undated

 

Central City 2035 Concept Plan Unanimously Adopted by City Council. "City Council endorsed new goals and guiding principles for the Central City by unanimously adopting the Central City 2035 Concept Plan, an update to the 1988 Central City Plan. The new plan positions Portland's Central City as the regional center for innovation and exchange, while providing high-level guidance for development, decision-making and investment in the city center through the coming decades. ... " City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability news item, undated

 

I-5 Eastbank Freeway Tunnel Alternative Concept Diagram. "The I-5 Eastbank Concept Diagram was completed as a technical follow-up to City Council Resolution No. 36448, October 19, 2006, that accepted the I-5/405 Freeway Loop Advisory Group Final Report and identified a need for a longer-term solution for I-5 Eastbank Freeway." City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability news item, undated

 

Crews wrap up construction on Southwest Moody Avenue. "With construction for the Oregon University System's 500,000-square-foot Collaborative Life Sciences building under way and development plans for the 33-acre Zidell Yards in the mix, Southwest Moody Avenue is planned to be a major lifeline to the South Waterfront District." DJCOregon.gov, October 30   

(Image: Portland Bureau of Transportation)

 

 

 

Metro to present Westside Trail route to public. "The proposed bicycle and pedestrian trail would stretch for 25 miles between the Willamette River by the St. John's Bridge in Portland and the Tualatin River to the west of King City. Portions of the proposed trail are already built or planned for construction." OregonLive.com, October 29

 

 

 

A Visitor to Crystal Springs Creek. "This week, staff from Environmental Services saw this Great Blue Heron foraging at the newly restored Crystal Springs Creek at SE 21st and Umatilla." City of Portland City Green Blog, October 24  (Portland Environmental Services image) 

 

 

   

Go to top of news. 

UpriverUpriver tidings

 

Milwaukie mayor looks to county commissioners for help with Riverfront Park design problem. "Milwaukie is gaining momentum in making its long-time vision for a revitalized Riverfront Park a reality, but a disagreement between the city and a nearby wastewater treatment plant over a part of the park's plan remains unsolved." OregonLive.com, Oct. 24

 

Restoration efforts on Oswego Iron Furnace honored. "The restoration of the Oswego Iron Furnace is being honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation ... Lake Oswego, despite its upscale reputation, started out to be the largest iron producer in the West. The furnace was built by the Oregon Iron Company in 1866 at the confluence of Oswego Creek and the Willamette River. It closed just 19 years later." DJCOregon.gov, October 31 (subscription req'd to view entire article.)

 

Columbia River pollution case tests international law. Seattle Times, October 22

 

Fun

Fun / Of Note    

The Next Phase of Chicago's Riverwalk: Fishing and Floating Gardens: "The new plans will compliment the riverwalk's first phase, completed in 2009. The formidable design team, announced a couple weeks ago, includes Sasaki Associates, Alfred Benesch & Co., Ross Barney Architects, and Jacobs/Ryan Associates. Their concept: to provide the kind of swimmable, fishable setting found in quieter river locales in the heart of a bustling city." The Atlantic Cities, October 19

 

A Grimm View of the Willamette and Columbia. Recent episode  of NBC's Grimm features spooky Portland beaches. "Hoping to take advantage of the good weather, Luis Avila takes his son fishing along the Willamette River. While fishing, they see a weeping woman in an unforgettable white night gown walking into the deep depths of the river."

  

 

 

Dr. Know: Fine Feathered Feces-Let's talk goose poop: Every park and walkway near the Willamette River is covered with the stuff. Is it any health threat to people and pets?   Willamette Week, October 31  

(Image: Rivers Office) 

 

 

 

Rain gardens protect rivers and streams. Metro News, October 25

 

USGS Studies Sediment Issues With Elwha Dam Removal To Inform Future River Restoration Projects. Columbia Basin Bulletin, October 26 

To view past River News Digests, click here.  

To submit news, email Rick Bastasch, or call 503.823.0275

 

NOTE: River News Digest is a compilation of interesting items and announcements relating to rivers-with a focus on better understanding, enjoying, and caring for our local rivers, while touching on items from around the country and the world. Please note much of the information is from sources other than the City of Portland [like news media, non-profit organizations, and other government agencies]. The Rivers Office lists these items for information purposes only and is not responsible for their content.