The Portland Tribune report that Gunderson, a maker of rail cars and marine barges, filed a notice with Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals. The company tells the Trib the plan isn’t balanced enough toward business interests.

See Portland Tribune: River Plan challenged

Running from downtown to the Columbia River, the North Reach is the industrial heart of the city. A busy harbor, generating billions of dollars worth of business, and providing some of the best paying jobs in Portland.

But it’s also something of an environmental mess. The North Reach has suffered from years of pollution and habitat degradation that put this stretch of the Willamette on the Superfund list. Endangered salmon, steelhead and other species either live here or migrate through the area.

The big sticking point of the North Reach River Plan is this – how much should companies pay to restore the river in exchange for allowing them to expand their businesses. The plan says that when a company develops part of the riverfront, it has to offset that by restoring an equal area of wildlife habitat, or by paying someone else to do it for them.

The idea of new fees or extra costs has businesses along the North Reach fighting hard against this part of the plan. While few of their comments at the hearing expressed outright opposition, they urged the council to move slowly and carefully.

Bill Wyatt of the Port of Portland called the plan a way to finance restoration on the back of new investment. He warned there could be a point where the costs of the plan became so high, the investment by business would stop, and if that happened so would the restoration. Wyatt also says there are jobs at stake. “Those are high wage blue collar jobs,” he says.

Jeff Smith, President of the local Longshore Union, says the 50 businesses along the North Reach support about 20,000 jobs, with an average income of $45,000. “It doesn’t make sense to adopt the plan,” he says, “when so many details haven’t been worked out.”

“We’ve Discussed This Thing To Death”

Environmental groups say it’s time for the city to move forward on the plan that’s been years in the making. “It’s time to move forward,” says Bob Sallinger with Portland Audubon. “We’ve discussed this thing to death.”

“If we compromise further, it’s not an improvement plan. It becomes a degradation plan.”

Travis Williams of Willamette Riverkeeper says the plan doesn’t ask too much of business. “Most of these companies have benefited from the Willamette and we’re asking them to give a little back.”

Adds Sallinger, if businesses don’t foot some of the bill then the costs of restoring the river falls on taxpayers.

Policy Now, Details Later

It was clear early on that the council isn’t going to vote on this anytime soon. Mayor Sam Adams offered some amendments he hoped would make the plan more acceptable to business. But not everyone on the council had time to review the changes.

Adams wants the council to move forward on the broad policy objectives, while leaving the details for later. He suggests giving city staff the remainder of the year to continue working on such items as how to calculate the fees, and identifying areas that could be restored.

“We agree on 90% of this,” says Commissioner Amanda Fritz, adding that it’s time to take that part of the it “off the table” and spend the rest of the year focusing on how to implement the plan.

The council will meet again to consider the North Reach River Plan on Wednesday, March 24 at 2pm.

For more information see: Portland Enviro Groups Rally For Willamette River Restoration Plan

But it’s home to wildlife as well. Herons, sea lions, otters and fish spend some or all of their lives here. Fall salmon numbers in the upper Willamette system have been surprisingly robust, giving hope that the endangered fish might be making a comeback. For that to happen, salmon and steelhead have to migrate at least twice through the dirtiest section of the Willamette. The working part of the river. A Superfund site.

Soon, the Portland City Council will hold a public hearing on a plan to reconcile all these different demands. Two of Portland’s best known environmental groups, Willamette Riverkeeper and the Audubon Society, are concerned over industry attempts to weaken some of the environmental protections in the plan. Those industry objections led Mayor Adams to cancel a public hearing that was scheduled for last month. It could also be the reason why Thursday’s planned hearing was put off as well.

The North Reach River Plan

The so-called “North Reach” of the Willamette runs from downtown Portland near the Fremont Bridge to where the river meets the Columbia.

In typical Portland style, the plan for this area is designed so that there’s something in it for everyone.

For Business:

• The plan protects prime industrial property along the riverfront, calls for spending more public money on infrastructure such as rail and road access, and simplifies rules needed for permits.

For Recreation:

• Creates a Greenway trail on both sides of the river. They are already walking and biking trails through the area. But the city’s plan calls more adding more trail miles, changing some of the current routes, creating scenic viewpoints and adding more spots for people to access the trails.

For Wildlife:

• Sets aside some 21 areas along the river for wildlife habitat. If a business tries to expand or build a new facility along the riverbank, it has to mitigate for that by restoring an equal amount of riverbank somewhere else on its property. If for some reason that doesn’t work out, the business could restore wildlife habitat somewhere else on the river, or pay a fee to the city for doing it. Eventually the goal is to create a privately run mitigation bank.

Why Business Is Unhappy

Businesses located along the river are vigorously fighting the plan. Many of them are represented by the Working Waterfront Coalition. The members say the costs of mitigation, or the fees they have to pay, are way too high. Back in July, Schnitzer Steel told the Portland Business Journal that if they wanted to build a new $20 million dollar dock, the costs of mitigation would tack on an extra $2.7 million. The business community says this will halt or slow expansion, the wrong kind of move especially during a recession.

“We’re not insensitive to the economic realities out there,” says Travis Williams, Executive Director of Willamette Riverkeeper. But he’s skeptical about business claims as to how much they’ll have to pay. “How does this kill you,” he wants to know, “Are you sunk because of this fee you can pay out over time?”

The Needs Of Wildlife

No expects this section of the Willamette to be restored to it’s former glory. All sides that it really is a working river, and will remain that way into the foreseeable future. But Williams sees the plan as a way to get back some of what’s been lost. “How is doing the right thing, and asking a bit more, somehow the wrong thing to do? How much do we water these things down?”

There’s an increasing consensus that even setting aside a small amount of land for habitat can make a difference for wildlife. The 21 natural areas in the plan will help salmon as they migrate through the area. They’ll provide resting places for salmon and steelhead to stop and feed before moving upriver to their spawning grounds. Williams says, “The science is telling us that’s what they use, that’s what they need.”

To Have Your Say:

Until a public hearing is scheduled, you can submit written testimony to…

Council Clerk
1221 SW 4th Avenue, Room 140
Portland, OR 97204
Fax: (503) 823-4571
Email: kmoore-love@ci.portland.or.us