Bradford Island viewed from the Washington side of the Columbia River. Bradford Island was added to the National Priorities List in hopes of cleaning up toxic chemicals that were dumped there for 40 years from the 1940s to the 1980s.
The Bradford Island Visitor Center is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The island, which is located in the Bonneville complex, has been added to the EPA Superfund list. This designation will expedite the cleanup of toxic PCB’s on land and in the water.
Bradford Island viewed from the Washington side of the Columbia River. Bradford Island was added to the National Priorities List in hopes of cleaning up toxic chemicals that were dumped there for 40 years from the 1940s to the 1980s.
Bradford Island has been added to the National Priorities List by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), making it a Superfund site. On March 17, the EPA announced it would take action against the dumping of toxic chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, into the Columbia River. The island is part of the Bonneville Dam which is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers.
The “Superfund” status provides additional federal funding and other requirements that are expected to re-energize cleanup of the site. The designation will hold the Army Corps of Engineers to tighter clean up procedures and a stricter schedule. Across the nation there are 40,000 Superfund sites, but only the most contaminated receive listing on the National Priorities list. Bradford Island was one of 12 sites added to the Superfund site register by the Biden Administration on March 17.
In 2019 and 2021, the Department of Environmental Equality, Washington Department of Ecology and tribal leaders from the Yakama Nation addressed letters to the EPA asking for help in the cleanup of Bradford Island. Oregon Governor Kate Brown, Sen. Jeff Merkley and EPA Administrator Michael Regan spoke at a press conference announcing the decision to clean up Bradford Island.
“For too long the environmental damage has gone on at this contaminated site,” said Sen. Merkley.
The Bradford Island Visitor Center is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The island, which is located in the Bonneville complex, has been added to the EPA Superfund list. This designation will expedite the cleanup of toxic PCB’s on land and in the water.
Noah Noteboom photo
For 40 years, from 1942 to 1982, the Army Corps of Engineers used the island as a dumping ground for electrical components and other debris. Some of the refuse contained PCBs, which are difficult to breakdown and collect on the bodies of fish who live in the waters. There are other contaminants other than PCBs. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons, also known as PHAs, have been found in fish. PHA contamination comes from oil, gasoline and metals in the soils upriver. The Army Corps also used the island as target practice in the
Currently there are no cost estimates for the cleanup operations. The EPA will now assess contamination levels and set a cleanup timeline for the island. The Oregon Health Authority and the Washington State Department of Health have issued “Do Not Eat” fish advisories for the area due to the recent designations.
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