flushing channel | Rosemere Neighborhood Association

Rosemere Neighborhood Association & Columbia Riverkeeper Submit Letter to Ecology RE: Alcoa/Evergreen Aluminum Smelter Supplemental Cleanup Action Plan

December 7, 2010 Author: admin

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Alcoa Power Plant, Vancouver, WA

Rosemere Neighborhood Association and Columbia Riverkeeper have for years raised serious concerns about Washington Department of Ecology’s cleanup and oversight at the former Alcoa/Evergreen Aluminum Smelter. One of the major concerns is Ecology’s delay of the cleanup process by separating the East Landfill groundwater contamination decision from other cleanup actions.

As part of the public comment process on the Alcoa/Evergreen Vancouver Aluminum Smelter Supplemental Cleanup Action Plan and Consent Decree Amendment for the East Landfill, Rosemere and Columbia Riverkeeper submitted a letter urging Ecology to take additional steps to address the contaminants at the site to ensure the protection of human health, salmon, and other aquatic, terrestrial, and avian life in and around the Columbia River.

To view the letter, please click on this link:
http://www.rosemerena.org/home/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Alcoa-Vancouver-East-Landfill-12-6-10.pdf

Data Gathered for Vancouver Lake Superfund Assessment – March 4, 2009

April 6, 2009 Author: admin

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Contractors for the EPA's Supefund Technical Assessment and Response Team gathering sediment samples 3/4/09 at a wetland location near Vancouver Lake.

Contractors for the EPA's Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team gathering sediment samples 3/4/09 at a wetland location near Vancouver Lake.

In August, 2007, RNA and Columbia Riverkeeper submitted a formal Citizen Petition for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a Preliminary Assessment to consider Vancouver Lake a superfund site due to contamination from substances like PCBs. The Citizen’s Petition scored sufficiently for EPA to to move to the next step, which is a site inspection study. Contractors for the EPA arrived in Vancouver to gather around 30 sediment samples that will be shpped out of state for analysis at federally contracted laboratories. [Read More...]

Media Release: Groups praise cleanup action at Alcoa’s Vancouver site, but say more is needed – November 24, 2008

April 5, 2009 Author: admin

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information, Call:

Dvija Michael Bertish
Rosemere Neighborhood Association

Lauren Goldberg
Conservation Director,
Columbia Riverkeeper
541-965-0985
lauren@columbiariverkeeper.org

November 24, 2008

Groups praise cleanup action at Alcoa’s Vancouver site, but say more is needed

VANCOUVER, WA — The Rosemere Neighborhood Association (RNA) and Columbia Riverkeeper (CRK) today called on the Washington Department of Ecology to require prompt cleanup of all toxic contamination caused by the Alcoa site in Vancouver. The Alcoa-Evergreen site is located on the banks of the Columbia River, inside Vancouver city limits, at the Port of Vancouver. The site is approximately 5000 feet from the mouth of the flushing channel to Vancouver Lake. As a former aluminum smelter site, the Alcoa property contributed significant quantities of toxic PCB contamination to the Columbia River. Toxic pollution from Alcoa continues to this day including TCE, PAHs and PCBs that are actively leaching into the Columbia just east of public recreation areas where local residents have direct contact with the river and also harvest shellfish. [Read More...]

Sewage Spill Reported at Frenchman’s Bar for Second Year in a Row – April 8, 2005

April 3, 2009 Author: admin

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Anglers return to Frenchman’s Bar the day following the report of a sewage spill

The Washington State Department of Ecology’s Spill Responder’s Unit was dispatched to Frenchman’s Bar (near Vancouver Lake) on April 5, 2005 following another report of a raw sewage spill. This scene is a replay from a year ago when fishermen called in the worst sewage spill in memory at Frenchman’s Bar in April 2004, where the spill team found tampons, condoms, syringes, and globules of raw sewage washed ashore along two ½ miles of beach at Riverfront Park. A source was never discovered for the 2004 sewage spill, though a spill responder indicated that wind and weather conditions supported the theory that the spill was caused by a sewer overflow from Portland. However, Oregon’s DEQ was not able to identify a malfunction of Portland sewer treatment facilities. The Health Department closed Frenchman’s Bar under a public health emergency and special equipment was brought in to collect syringes hidden in the beach sand. [Read More...]

FISH IN VANCOUVER LAKE ARE CONTAMINATED AND UNSAFE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION – November 1, 2004

April 2, 2009 Author: admin

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Largemouth Bass

Anglers frequent fishing spots along the Columbia River and Vancouver Lake, and have done so for many years. However, Toxic Monitoring Data from the Washington State Department of Ecology indicates that fish in Vancouver Lake are not safe to eat. This is particularly dangerous for low-income folks who fish in this area out of necessity. [Read More...]

Sewage spill at Frenchman’s Bar Park – April 15, 2004

March 29, 2009 Author: admin

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The RNA received this response to our complaint from the Washington State Department of Ecology in Olympia on April 20, 2004.

Thank-you for voicing your concerns in this matter. Ecology was notified of the incident on the day that it occurred. This Department is actively investigating the situation at this time. The report will be available to the public upon the completion of the investigation. Please feel free to inquire after June 1st about the status of this investigation. Please refer to ERTS number 540239 when making inquiries. [Read More...]

THE FLUSHING CHANNEL WILL NOT WORK FOR VANCOUVER LAKE

March 24, 2009 Author: admin

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The Rosemere Neighborhood Association offers this information to substantiate the objection to the proposed re-dredging of the flushing channel connected to Vancouver Lake. This project is being proposed by the Port of Vancouver as an attempt to rid Vancouver Lake of serious contamination. [Read More...]