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Bradford Island at Bonneville Dam Gets Superfund Designation by Staff Columbia Basin Bulletin, March 17, 2022

PCBs in smallmouth bass were found at concentrations as high as 183,000 parts per billion.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that Bradford Island and surrounding waters of the Columbia River are officially added to the nation's Superfund List. Bradford Island is part of the Bonneville Dam complex operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

After a lengthy investigation and public comment period, EPA has designated the island and river area near Bonneville dam on the nation's priority list for cleanups.

EPA says the decision to list the site on the Superfund National Priorities List followed formal written requests from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Yakama Nation, and many communities and environmental groups based on concerns over the Corps' management of site investigations and cleanup. Those concerns included: inadequate funding, the pace of progress, and a perceived lack of responsiveness to stakeholder concerns. A subsequent EPA review of site conditions and site progress supported some of these concerns.

"This is a huge victory for people that rely on a clean Columbia," said Lauren Goldberg, legal and program director for Columbia Riverkeeper. "The government has known for years that resident fish near Bradford Island are too toxic to eat. With a Superfund listing, we can finally tackle the pollution problem and take critical steps to protect people that rely on locally-caught fish."

In recent years, Yakama Nation, Oregon, Washington, and thousands of community members called on EPA to take over the stalled-out cleanup. EPA's decision to add Bradford Island to the Superfund List -- reserved for the nation's worst-of-the-worst cleanup sites -- will lead to major changes, including additional funding, heightened scrutiny by EPA, and tighter legal controls to reduce threats to public health and the environment.

"The Yakama Nation and our partners worked hard to get the site added to the Superfund List because, even after two decades of work at the site, contamination in resident fish remains alarmingly high," stated Rose Longoria, regional Superfund project manager for Yakama Nation Fisheries. "The decision to add Bradford Island to the Superfund list is a major first step in getting EPA and the Corps to expedite cleanup actions."

The island and surrounding waters are fishing areas for multiple Tribes. Today, Tribal people and diverse communities use the area for subsistence and recreational fishing, despite advisories warning not to eat resident fish such as bass and sturgeon.

Resident fish caught near the island contain the highest levels of cancer-causing PCBs in the Northwest. The Oregon Health Authority and Washington Dept. of Health issued fish advisories warning people not to eat resident fish caught near Bradford Island.

"Working on the campaign to hold the government accountable for Bradford Island cleanup, I talk to Native Americans, Latinos, Eastern Europeans, and many others who come to the Columbia River to catch fresh fish to bring to their tables and feed their families -- not knowing that those areas where they fish are highly contaminated," stated Ubaldo Hernández, senior community organizer with Columbia Riverkeeper, who shares fish advisory information with people who fish near Bradford Island.

In fall 2021, over a thousand people submitted public comments to EPA in support of a new Superfund Site on the Columbia River.

The Corps' historical operations and maintenance practices at the site caused the soil, groundwater, and stormwater to be contaminated. Sediments in the Columbia River are also contaminated with PCBs and other pollutants.

In September, EPA proposed sites to the National Priorities List, includingBradford Island.

The Superfund designation will bring EPA into a more formal role of overseeing the Corps' cleanup work. The Corps will remain the federal agency responsible for the cleanup process as the owner and operator of the site.

PCBs were widely used in hundreds of industrial and commercial applications until they were banned from further production in the U.S. in 1979. They are human-made chemicals that persist in the environment and are known to affect the immune system and may cause cancer in people. PCBs can also affect learning abilities in children. Other contaminants at the site also have known health and environmental risks.

Since 1998, the Corps of Engineers has been leading the investigation and cleanup efforts at Bradford Island. The Corps has completed actions to remove electrical equipment and some contaminated sediment from the river and has also conducted several studies aimed at characterizing sources of contamination in the river and uplands portion of the site.

The section on the northeastern side of Bradford Island is not in a public area and was formerly used as a landfill, pistol range and sandblast area. A portion of this section of the island has been set aside to be managed as a wildlife habitat, while the remaining area is currently used for industrial purposes.

"By adding Bradford Island to the National Priorities List, EPA brings its expertise to work with USACE to ensure this area is cleaned up and made safe for fish, wildlife and workers," said Col. Michael Helton, Portland District commander. "We remain focused on cleaning the site as we look forward to working with EPA on the project."

In 2007, the Corps removed 65 tons of sediment from a 0.83-acre area along the shoreline of Bradford Island. The Corps suctioned and filtered 2.2 million gallons of water and sediment from the river bottom to remove contaminants. Currently, the Corps is collecting additional data to revise the upland feasibility study and to advance the river feasibility study.

The EPA received requests from multiple parties to make this proposal adding Bradford Island to the National Priorities List, including the Yakama Nation, the states of Oregon and Washington, and community and environmental groups.

This marks the first such listing in Oregon in 10 years. The last site to receive a Superfund designation was North Ridge Estates in 2011. The Klamath Falls residential subdivision was found to be contaminated with asbestos. With the Bradford Island listing, Oregon will have 13 cleanup sites on the National Priorities List.

From 1942 until 1982, the Army Corps of Engineers used the east end of the island as a landfill. On one or more occasions, the Corps dumped electrical components and other debris in the river near the northeast corner of the island.

The agency removed PCB-containing electrical equipment from the river in 2000 and 2002. The last cleanup activity at the site was in 2007 when the Corps removed PCB-contaminated sediments from the river. The most recent sampling, in 2011, of sediments, clams and smallmouth bass indicate that PCB concentrations are still too high to protect fish living nearby, and people who eat the fish. Of particular note, PCBs in smallmouth bass were found at concentrations as high as 183,000 parts per billion. A safe level for human consumption of fish depends on the rate of fish consumption, and could be as low as a few parts per billion for recreational and tribal fishers.

See more information at: ordeq.org/bradfordisland

The NPL includes the nation's most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. The list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at sites included on the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.

EPA proposes sites to the NPL based on a scientific determination of risks to people and the environment, consistent with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan.

Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. The program is credited for significant reductions in both birth defects and blood-lead levels among children living near sites, and research has shown residential property values increase up to 24 percent within three miles of sites after cleanup.

At Bradford Island, while some progress has been made, the ongoing impact to tribal fishing and the general risk to public health and the environment persist.

"These disposal practices have ongoing consequences, particularly for the tribal fishers so closely connected to the river. We need to take action as soon as possible so the problems do not become even worse," Oregon Department of Environmental Quality director Richard Whitman said. "We welcome the focus that EPA's oversight will bring to speeding restoration of this site. Together, we can ensure cleanup at Bradford Island is done right and that we are protecting human health and the environment over the long-term."

EPA's Superfund program will provide consistent federal funding and put other requirements on the work that are expected to re-energize the cleanup of Bradford Island.

"This is a landmark decision for the Columbia River and its surrounding communities," said Laura Watson, director of the Washington State Department of Ecology. "This is the culmination of years of hard work and partnership with the Yakama Nation and Oregon. We're grateful to EPA for recognizing the importance of this site and granting our request. This brings hope for the future."

Related Pages:
Oregon DEQ Sues Corps Over Bradford Island Cleanup Costs by KC Mehaffey, NW Fishletter, 11/3/20