Clean Up Bradford Island

PETITION: Do you care about clean water for all? Do you want to work in solidarity with Tribal Nations?

Then take action today and advocate for cleanup at the Columbia’s newest Superfund site, located just 35 miles from the Portland-Vancouver metro area near Bonneville Dam.

For over 40 years, the U.S. government dumped toxic waste in this area.

As a result, resident fish caught in this area have the highest levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in the United States, making them too toxic to eat. This toxic pollution continues to threaten the health and safety of people who depend on the Columbia River and locally-caught fish.

Senator Merkley, Senator Wyden, Representative Blumenauer, Representative Gluesenkamp Perez:

I am calling on you to hold the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) accountable for cleanup of the Columbia River’s newest Superfund Site, Bradford Island and surrounding waters. 

Since the area was listed as a national priority in 2022, the Army Corps has dragged its feet negotiating the key agreement required to jumpstart cleanup, the Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA). Now that the FFA was finally signed in 2024, the Army Corps must move forward on a swift and thorough cleanup.

Resident fish near Bradford Island have the highest levels of cancer-causing  PCB contamination of any fish in the United States resulting in an ongoing exposure risk to communities who consume resident fish from this area. 

Columbia River communities deserve safe and healthy fish to eat, especially  those who depend on fish for their livelihoods and cultures. Clean up is long overdue. 

I support a Federal Facilities Agreement that mandates urgent cleanup actions with strict adherence to an enforceable schedule. 

I support the Yakama Nation and other Tribes’ rights to be involved as an equal  partner in cleanup decisions.

About Bradford Island Cleanup

For over 40 years, the U.S. government dumped toxic pollution in and along the Columbia’s shores at Bradford Island, located near Bonneville Dam.