Readers Respond to Debate Over the Cleanup of Willamette Cove

“If that beautiful beach looking across at the hills had a wealthy neighborhood above it on the bluffs, this wouldn’t be an open question. It would be cleaned up.”

Willamette Cove. (Justin Katigbak)

For decades, Willamette Cove, a 3,000-foot stretch of beach in North Portland, has been closed to the public due to toxic waste contamination. Now, the Metro-owned beach is due for a cleanup. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has recommended burying most of the hazardous waste onsite and fencing off portions of the area. That conflicts with the hopes of North Portlanders who want the waste hauled away and the beach turned into a public park. WW profiled neighborhood advocates pushing Metro to invest in a full cleanup, which would cost $1.9 million more than the DEQ's $8.8 million recommendation. Here's what our readers had to say:

Just doing the Math via wweek.com: "Difficult to believe this was an issue. Then again, I guess it takes a united and publicized outcry to ultimately shame Metro into doing what is right for the environment and the neighborhood."

Jack Weber via Facebook: "Living downstream of Portland sucks. I can catch a delicious bass, I just can't eat it if I do, thanks to the PCB level in fish in the Multnomah Channel. Burying this filth does no good, as evidenced by the pollution levels in our native wildlife!"

Thedeadtext via wweek.com: "How the eff is $2 million the hill they want to die on to have a chunk of useless land vs. a waterfront park? Christ, I hate Metro."

Tomescu Mohr via Facebook: "This is absurd. When you make a mess, you clean it up."

Denise J. Poole via Facebook: "The government should haul the contaminants off, not leave them there to leak sometime in the future."

Katie Robinson via Facebook: "People became wealthy while they created the pollution. Why aren't the people who became wealthy ever held accountable for the cleanup of these sites?"

Adam Marshall Moore via Facebook: "An important aspect to keep in mind when it comes to 'cleanup' is that the contaminated soils have to be stored somewhere. Portland received all the economic benefits from the dirty businesses and practices that polluted the property. Do we now send those polluted soils somewhere else for other people to deal with in the future? Both building a cap around the pollution or transporting it to a sanitary landfill still have risks, though who is at risk changes."

Sally Bone via Facebook: "Gosh, Portland, how many years has the Willamette been waiting for that industrial cleanup? The Environmental Protection Agency released a report in 2017 after the plans were put on hold for years."

Blind Ivan via wweek.com: "If that beautiful beach looking across at the hills had a wealthy neighborhood above it on the bluffs, this wouldn't be an open question. It would be cleaned up. Do it and do it right. Give a resource to the people of North Portland."

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