Willamette Cove Closing For Testing

Photo: Esri, Garmin, USGS, Intermap

The waters of Willamette Cove will be temporarily closed to boating, paddling, and other public use starting this Saturday.

The river area around the cove will be temporarily closed through Oct. 31, 2020, to keep the public safe while crews and machinery collect water 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 the Environmental Protection Agency’s approved in-water cleanup plan for the cove will be implemented. The closure will also facilitate Oregon Department of Environmental Quality sampling at an adjacent cleanup site.

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 in-water cleanup work, visit the Willamette Cove website.

Source: Oregon Department of State Lands


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