“Economy can’t trump environment,” Oregonian, January 26, 1996
International trade doesn’t justify dredging
By Gayle Killam and Jean Cameron
Every day we strive to balance environmental concerns with economic realities. Last week we were disappointed that several public entities did not present the same balance in their promotion of Portland’s international competitiveness. In their advocacy for deepening the Columbia River channel, Mayor Vera Katz, The Oregonian, The Portland city Council and Gov. John Kitzhaber did not address the many negative environmental impacts associated with this dredging project.
Before the channel deepening can proceed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must evaluate any environmental impacts that result from pulling sediments out of the river, disposing of sediments somewhere along the river, and changing the shape and size of the river channel. These actions have an effect on water quality, aquatic organisms including salmon and other fish species, wetlands, vegetation, wildlife and the flow and salinity of the river.
The fact that dredging will expose and require disposal of contaminated sediments-and potentially resuspend some in the water-was not addressed by the elected officials or the press. The Lower Columbia Bi-State Water Quality Study has found sediment contamination in the Columbia River from Bonneville Dam to the mouth of the river. This contamination has been recorded at toxic levels for chemicals that persist in the environment, including dioxins; metals such as arsenic, cadmium, copper and silver; and pesticides such as DDT.
Another aspect of the bi-state study, a human-health risk assessment, has shown that the impacts of the contamination in the river can be traced up the food chain. The study found there are cancer and health risks to people who eat the fish from the lower Columbia River. These risks vary according to which types of fish people eat and the amount eaten over a long period of time.
The bi-state study has also documented significant losses of wetlands (70 percent loss of marshes and 29 percent loss of forested wetlands) in the lower Columbia River over the last century. This has had major impacts on wildlife such as river otter and bald eagle, and has also reduced the area available for primary production at the base of the aquatic food chain.
Not enough attention has been paid to the quality of the Columbia River estuary and the role its degradation plays in the survival of the salmon. With all the money being spent on and the regional pride that is associated with our salmon populations, the potential consequences of further destruction of their habitat due to resuspension and disposal of contaminated sediment, and increased erosion and turbidity has been carelessly overlooked.
Because the lower Columbia River has been designated an esturary of national significance by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, $2 million in federal money will come to the region over the next three years to develop a management strategy to improve the quality of the water, sediment and habitat in the lower river. This effort will not operate in a vacuum; deisions on the channel deepening are likely to be intergral to the management planning effort.
Just as effective environmental policy making requires a recognition of economic impacts, so do we expect recognition of environmental consequences when proposing economic policies for our city, region and state.
Both the city of Portland and the governor’s office are represented on the bi-state study. We would like to see the knowledge gained through that participation reflected in policy decisions.
Our elected officials and the press have an obligation to citizens in this region to exercise a more thorough consideration of all the issues associated with the channel deepening project alternatives once the impact statement is complete. They should look for more creative regional approaches to enhancing our international competitiveness than re-engineering the river-approaches that will avoid negative environmental consequences.
“Study process covers concern”
By Vera Katz
I agree with the Oregon Environmental Council that economic realities need to be balanced with environmental concerns. The process under way to deepen the Columbia River channel ensures such a balance.
At this time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a six-year study of the proposed deepening project. A significant portion of the $6 million study is devoted to addressing environmental issues, including designing ways to enhance the shoreline and habitat along the Columbia River.
The corps’ efforts have the full support of the seven lower Columbia River ports that are sponsoring the channel enhancement project. The port authorities recognize that the deepening of the Columbia River channel is more of an environmental project than an engineering project.
State and federal resource agencies, as well as the community, will have an opportunity to assist the corps in dealing with environmental issues outlined by the council. I have been assured that the deepening will only proceed when a project is designed that is both environmentally acceptable and economically feasible.
The point of “In my opinion” piece was not that environmental concerns should be neglected, but rather that a way must be found to balance environmental and economic issues related to the river. Only if we achieve that balance in a way that allows the deepening project to proceed can we expect Portland to continue to be an international trading center of significance.
