Advocates petition for cleaner fish

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is performing the cleanup under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance. Bradford Island is a toxic, underwater superfund site that is part of the Bonneville Dam complex.

Starting in the 1930s, Army Corps of Engineers used Bradford to store chemicals and equipment, dumping waste on land and water.

The waste includes mercury light bulbs, ballast, machinery, chemicals and oils. But the biggest concern at Bradford is the polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs

PCBs don’t break down easily, instead becoming concentrated in animal’s bodies.

Fish resident here hold the highest concentration of PCBs in the U.S. and can cause cancer, especially in children, the elderly, and pregnant people. A “Do Not Eat Fish” advisory is in place for a mile upstream of Bonneville Dam. No amount of their flesh is safe to eat.

By July 10, Riverkeeper’s petition had more than 3,600 signatures.

“We hope that this will demonstrate the high level of public interest in the cleanup, elevate the issue so that more community members are aware of the contamination around Bonneville Dam, and push regulatory agencies to respond with a swift and thorough cleanup,” said Kate Murphy, senior community organizer at Riverkeeper.

Bradford got listed as a Superfund site on the National Priorities list in 2022, after years of advocacy by the Confederated Tribes and Bands of Yakama Nation and other concerned groups. Now, cleanup plans are in process. That listing gave the EPA some oversight on the Army Corps of Engineer’s cleanup of the site.

Another “big hurdle,” signing the Federal Facility Agreement (FFA), happened in March 2024. That agreement said EPA will oversee the work alongside Oregon and Washington, and the Corps of Engineers will do the work. It defines a clear dispute resolution process.

The EPA has veto power and final authority on cleanup and siting decisions, and on remedial documents.

The Corps of Engineers “has committed to requesting any funds needed” for the investigation and cleanup at Bonneville, Murphy said.

Next steps: Identify and map contaminants on the land and in the water, and finalize cleanup plans.

“The best cleanup will be based on reliable, accurate data,” Murphy said.

Her concerns include making sure any removals get all the pollution and don’t make anything worse, so USACE doesn’t have to come back later and do more digging.

“Another concern is making sure that the cleanup happens soon,” Murphy wrote. “The contamination has been a known issue in this area for decades and each day that passes is another day people can be exposed to harmful contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB).

“Columbia Riverkeeper believes people should be able to catch healthy fish they can safely feed to their families. The cleanup at Bonneville Dam is long overdue and each day that cleanup is delayed is another day that people are being exposed to contamination ... Though complicated, Bonneville Dam cleanup is achievable. It is up to all of us to continue to put pressure on the Army Corps to make sure that it happens.”

To stay safe, residents should avoid eating resident fish. Migratory salmon, steelhead or shad are still safe to eat.

The Bradford Island Restoration Advisory Board holds regular public meetings. For more info contact John Morgan, public affairs specialist for USACE’s Portland District, at John.L.Morgan@usace.army.mil or 503-808-4514.