Cove waters will be closed through September 5 to allow for safe collection of water and soil samples to inform future environmental cleanup

PORTLAND, Ore. – The waters of Willamette Cove in Portland will be temporarily closed to boating, paddling, and other public uses starting tomorrow. 

The river area around the cove will be temporarily closed through Sept. 5, 2022, to keep the public safe while crews and machinery collect water, sediment, and soil samples. The samples collected will help the Oregon Department of State Lands, the City of Portland, and the Port of Portland determine how to implement the Environmental Protection Agency’s approved cleanup plan for cove waters.

Part of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, Willamette Cove was used extensively for industrial activities, including milling lumber and ship repair, for more than a century. As a result, both the land along the river and the adjacent water need environmental cleanup. 

The closed waters include 46 acres along the eastern bank of the Willamette River in Portland, from river mile 6.1 to 6.9 between North John Avenue and the Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge. See a map of the closure area.

For more information about the temporary closure and the cleanup, visit the Willamette Cove website. 

SALEM, Ore. – The State Land Board will meet on Tuesday, June 14 at 10 a.m. at the Department of State Lands building in Salem.

Agenda items the Board will consider include:

• The Department of State Lands proposed budget for 2023-25. The budget proposal includes twelve policy packages that aim to advance the Department’s strategic goals of Exceptional Service, Thriving Oregon, Supporting Schools, and Great Workplace.
• Delegating authority to DSL to facilitate cleanup activities within the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. This item recommends the State Land Board delegate authority to the DSL director to negotiate agreements regarding compensation due to the state and other requirements necessary for environmental cleanup of state-owned lands within the Portland Harbor Superfund Site.
• A budget request for forestland management. The Oregon Department of Forestry will present a proposed 2023-25 budget request for the management of 33,005 acres of school forestlands. These forests are managed and sustainably harvested by ODF on behalf of DSL and the State Land Board, contributing revenue to K-12 public education through the Common School Fund.
• Rulemaking to restrict public use of a segment of the Columbia riverbank. The proposed rulemaking would explore permanently prohibiting campsites, fires, and overnight use of a 500-yard segment of the Columbia River, located on the north side of Hayden Island.

The Land Board will also hear updates from ODF on the Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan, a report on the 2012-21 DSL Real Estate Asset Management Plan, information on the development of a marbled murrelet management plan, an update on the 2022-26 DSL strategic plan, and a presentation on the Oregon Renewable Energy Siting Assessment.

The full meeting agenda and materials are available on the Department of State Lands website. The meeting will be livestreamed to the DSL YouTube channel. 

The public may submit written testimony or sign up to provide spoken testimony during the meeting. The deadline to sign up to testify is 10 a.m. on Monday, June 13. Testimony information is available here.

If you need assistance to participate in this meeting due to a disability, please contact Arin Smith at 503-986-5224 or arin.n.smith@dsl.oregon.gov at least two working days prior to the meeting. 

About the State Land Board and the Department of State Lands: The State Land Board consists of Governor Kate Brown, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and State Treasurer Tobias Read. Established by the Oregon Constitution in 1859, the Land Board oversees the state’s Common School Fund. The Department of State Lands is the Land Board’s administrative agency, managing the lands and resources that help fund Oregon’s public schools and protecting the state’s waterways and wetlands for the many benefits they provide.

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http://www.oregon.gov/dsl