Deq to Proceed with Northeast Cleanup

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has selected a cleanup approach for contaminated soils at the former wrecking yard site at the Port of Portland's Portland International Center, located between Northeast Alderwood Road, the Columbia Slough, Interstate 205 and Northeast 82nd Avenue.
Previous cleanup at the site included removal of contaminated soil. Remaining contamination will be capped and controls will be installed to prevent the caps' removal.
Before the port bought the property in the early 1970s, the site was occupied by several automobile wrecking yards, which contaminated the site, according to environmental investigations conducted between 1996 and 2002. The studies indicated the presence of petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in the soils, and some polynuclear hydrocarbons were found in shallow groundwater.
In 1995, about 175 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil and automobile related debris were excavated from the eastern portion of the site and disposed of at a Hillsboro landfill. In 2001, about 40 cubic yards of lead-contaminated soil was excavated from two areas in the western portion of the site and also was disposed in Hillsboro.
The department plans to cap the contaminated soil in the western portion of the site with an asphalt and concrete surface/parking lot and cap contaminated soil in the eastern portion of the site with clean imported fill.
Information is available for review at the DEQ Northwest Region office, 2020 S.W. Fourth Ave. To schedule an appointment to review files at the DEQ Northwest Region office, call 503-229-6729.
 Questions on the project should be directed to DEQ Project Manager Jennifer Sutter, 503-229-6148, or sutter.jennifer@deq.state.or.us.