News Release
| Release Number: | 07-125 |
| Dated: | 9/25/2007 |
| Contact: | Amy Echols, 503-808-4510 |
PORTLAND, Ore. – Work to remove PCB-contaminated sediment from the Columbia River along the shores of Bradford Island is scheduled to begin Oct. 1, announced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Corps is leading efforts to reduce or eliminate potential risks to human health and the environment with the removal of river sediments contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) from an area just upriver from the Bonneville Dam spillway. The contamination is concentrated in the river bottom sediments on the north side of Bradford Island. The Corps has made the removal of 0.83 acres of highly contaminated PCB sediment “hot spots” a high priority.
The Corps recently awarded the removal action contract to Huang & Associates, Inc. from Elk Grove, CA. The Corps estimates that this action will be complete by November 15 at a cost of $1,900,000.00. Specially equipped divers will suction sediments from the river into a series of tanks and filters to remove the contaminated sediments before returning the filtered water to the river. They will sample the filtered sediment and all waste material prior to transport to an appropriate disposal facility.
PCBs are colorless, odorless and tasteless chemicals that were widely used in electrical equipment such as transformers and capacitors before their production was banned in 1976. This contaminated sediment is the result of the disposal of electrical equipment on the island and in the Columbia River possibly in the late 1960s. The Corps removed the electrical debris in 2002 and sampled sediment in the area in 2003.
The Corps, in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and other state and federal agencies, also is conducting a more detailed investigation of the nature and extent of remaining contamination on the island and in the river. With the results from this investigation, a final clean-up plan will be developed. The investigation and planning is scheduled for completion in 2009.
Media Tour
The Corps invites interested media representatives to watch the removal action and meet with project staff on Wednesday, October 10 at 10 a.m. Please contact the Portland District Public Affairs Office by Friday, Oct. 5 at 503-808-4510 to confirm your attendance.