People rely on clean water and toxic-free fish. That’s why Columbia Riverkeeper uses the law and grassroots organizing to advocate for cleanup at polluted sites like Bradford Island and surrounding waters.
Watch Ubaldo Hernández, senior community organizer with Columbia Riverkeeper, share the March 17, 2022 announcement:
En Español: "Limpien la Isla de Bradford:
Watch our webinar "Forgotten Toxic Waste Dump: The Bradford Island Story" as a part of our Love Your Columbia event series:
The problem
People want to feed their families locally-caught fish from one of the most popular recreational fishing areas in the Mid-Columbia—but the Oregon and Washington health departments warn the fish are too toxic to eat. For over 40 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) dumped toxic pollution in and along the Columbia’s shorelines at Bradford Island, located near Bonneville Dam in Multnomah County. Fish caught near the island contain the highest levels of cancer-causing PCBs in the Northwest.
Indigenous people have fished on Bradford Island and in surrounding waters since time immemorial. Today, Indigenous people and diverse communities use the area for subsistence and recreational fishing despite advisories warning not to eat resident fish. The Corps’s last active cleanup removal occurred in 2007.
How we engage
Riverkeeper pairs in-depth legal and technical research with grassroots organizing to engage people and advocate for a clean Columbia. We also work in solidarity with Yakama Nation, which fought for years for a seat at the table to make critical decisions about a cleanup that affects treaty fishing rights. The goal: final cleanup decisions that protect people’s health and local fish.
After years of community organizing, we had a huge victory in March 2022: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially added Bradford Island and surrounding waters to the nation’s Superfund List. This hard-earned victory could not have been possible without the leadership of Yakama Nation, community members, and the elected officials that stood up for clean water. We are committed to keeping the pressure on to ensure cleanup of Bradford Island and surrounding waters remains a top priority for the federal government.
Tell the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Army Corps that a timely and effective cleanup of the Bradford Island Superfund site is a top priority.
Una guía para proteger su salud de la contaminación tóxica cerca de la Presa Bonneville
A Guide to Protecting Your Health from Toxic Pollution Near Bonneville Dam
In a huge victory for Columbia River Tribes and all people that rely on a clean Columbia, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Bradford Island and surrounding waters of the Columbia River are officially added to the nation’s Superfund List.
OPB Reports: Columbia River’s Bradford Island gets new push for toxic Superfund status
Listen to a conversation with Laura Shira from Yakama Nation on "Conoce Tu Columbia" about Bradford Island Contamination levels and why is important for this area to be classified a Superfund site:
Legal & Program Director Lauren Goldberg talks Bradford Island Cleanup:
Associate Attorney Simone Anter talks Bradford Island Cleanup:
Blog posts, press releases, and information:
- The Columbia River’s Newest Superfund Cleanup Site: Bradford Island and Surrounding Waters, November 2022
- El nuevo sitio de limpieza del Superfondo del río Columbia: La isla de Bradford y aguas circundantes, November 2022
- Una guía para proteger su salud de la contaminación tóxica cerca de la Presa Bonneville, November 2022
- A Guide to Protecting Your Health from Toxic Pollution Near Bonneville Dam, November 2022
- The Columbia River’s Newest Superfund Cleanup Site: Bradford Island and Surrounding Waters, September 2022.
- EPA Announces New Columbia River Superfund Cleanup Site, March 17, 2022.
- EPA Updates Superfund National Priorities List to Clean Up Pollution, Address Public Health Risks, and Build a Better America, March 17, 2022.
- Comments in Support of Adding Bradford Island, Surrounding Waters to the National Priorities List, November 2021.
- Fact Sheet, Forgotten Toxic Waste Dump: Support New Superfund Cleanup Site on Columbia River, October 2021.
- BREAKING: Huge Win for Clean Water, September 8, 2021.
- EPA Announces New Superfund Listing on Columbia River near Bonneville Dam, September 8, 2021.
- Conoce Tu Columbia: Conversation with Laura Shira from Yakama Nation, we talk about Bradford Island Contamination levels and why is important for this area to be classified a Superfund site, August 3, 2021.
- Members of Congress Announce Support for New Superfund Listing, July 19, 2021.
- Local and National Organizations Ask EPA for New Superfund Listing on Columbia River, June 9, 2021.
Columbia River’s Bradford Island gets new push for toxic Superfund status, OPB, June 24, 2021. - States, Tribe Call for Superfund Site on Columbia River, Public News Service, June 1, 2021.
- Worth watching: “Forgotten Toxic Waste Dump”, May 6, 2021.
- Love Your Columbia Webinar, Forgotten Toxic Waste Dump: The Bradford Island Story, May 3, 2021.
- Educator. Activist: Columbia Riverkeeper recently chatted with Carlos Marroquin, a Columbia River Gorge activist, environmentalist, volunteer, and community organizer, August 12, 2020.
- In Our View: Designate Bradford Island a Superfund site, The Columbian, November 10, 2019.
- Editorial Board: Add Columbia River’s polluted Bradford Island to Superfund, Seattle Times, November 6, 2019.
- Tribe, states ask feds to list Bradford Island as Superfund site, The Columbian, October 31, 2019.
- Northwest States And Tribes Call For Superfund Listing At Bradford Island, OPB, October 18, 2019.
- Oregon, Washington, & Yakama Nation Ask EPA for New Superfund Listing on Columbia River, Press Release, October 17, 2019.
- Letter to EPA from Oregon, Washington, and Yakama Nation, Letter, October 10, 2019.
- Support for Bradford Island Cleanup Area Superfund Listing, Letter, October 9, 2019.
- Interview with Rebeccah Winnier, Owner, Northwest Fish Hogs, Conoce Tu Columbia Podcast, September 2019.
- Community Forum on Languishing Bradford Island Cleanup Draws Crowd, Press Release, August 7, 2019.
- Think Out Loud: Bradford Island Cleanup, OPB, August 5, 2019.
- Yakama Nation and Columbia Riverkeeper Demand Government Cleanup at Bradford Island, Columbia Insight, June 27, 2019.
- Demand Government Cleanup at Columbia River Toxic Cleanup Site, Fact Sheet, 2019
- Fishing Near Bradford Island: A Guide to Protecting Your Health from Toxic Pollution Near Bonneville Dam, Fact Sheet, 2019.
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bradford Island Cleanup Website
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Bradford Island Cleanup Website
- Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commision Report on Tribal Fish Consumption
- Oregon Health Authority Fish Advisory for Bonneville Dam
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Website on Cleanup Laws
