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Creosote Discharges Contaminate River, Fish Creasote contaminated groundwater continues to seep into the Willamette River, eight years after the site was placed on the Superfund priority cleanup list. A few years ago, two boys playing along the banks of the Willamette River south of Portland received skin burns consistent with contact with creosote, one of the primary chemicals used by a wood-preserving company that formerly occupied the site.(1) Even now, eight years after the EPA placed the site on its Superfund priority cleanup list, it continues to discharge toxic chemicals into the river. The wood-preserving operation, McCormick & Baxter, sat on the north bank of the Willamette River about five miles northwest of downtown Portland.(2) The company left its mark on the river. McCormick & Baxter was founded in 1944 to produce and treat wood products during World War II. Between 1945 and 1969, it dumped its wood preserving wastewater directly into the Willamette River.(3) In 1988, the company filed for bankruptcy, and by 1989, with only minimal cleanup work done, the burden shifted to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ). The EPA placed it on the Superfund priority list on May 31, 1994.(4) Chemicals used for wood treatment operations include creosote/diesel oil mixtures, pentachlorophenol (PCP)/diesel oil mixtures, and several water- and ammonia-based solutions containing arsenic, chromium, copper, and zinc. Exposure to high levels may cause burning in the mouth and throat, irritation of the respiratory tract, stomach pains, severe skin irritation, convulsions, and kidney and liver problems.(5) These chemicals are also known or suspected human carcinogens. A Public Health Assessment prepared by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in 1995 indicated a population density of 7,900 within 1 mile of the site, based on 1990 census data. The University of Portland is located about 2,000 feet from the site.(6) The site continues to pose health risks to people who may encounter hazardous chemicals along the shoreline on or near the site at levels that can damage the skin. Although a fence has since contained the site, ODEQ representatives note that the fence is periodically breached and does not completely prevent access to the on-site shoreline area.(7) These breaches lead the agency to believe that trespassers have been and will continue to be exposed to hazardous contaminants until the site is properly cleaned up. The Willamette Riverkeeper in Portland is a non-profit organization that protects and restores the water quality and habitat of the Willamette River and its tributaries. Their executive director, Travis Williams, said, "If you canoe over the area, you can actually smell the creosote-it's heinous."(8) The problem is especially acute during the summer months when the river is low.(9) Another source of contamination is the fish that people eat. The Oregon Health Division and Department of Fish and Wildlife have issued advisories cautioning residents about commercial crayfish harvesting. While the advisories may deter the activity in the immediate area, harvesting continues downstream. People who harvest fish and crayfish near the site have been exposed and will continue to be exposed to contaminants by eating any fish that has taken up the chemicals, even after site cleanup is complete.(10) Whether the level of contamination is hazardous to human health is unclear, but for those who subsist on crayfish or other fish from the river over a long time period, health problems would be expected, namely an increased risk of cancer.(11) Fishermen, water-skiers, and swimmers have been exposed and will continue to be exposed through skin contact and incidental ingestion from contaminants that seep from the site until cleanup is completed.(12) Touching or ingesting contaminated soils, sediments, or groundwater could pose a health threat.(13) According to ODEQ site project manager Kevin Parrett, when water conditions are right, seeps of creosote discharge into the river, sometimes badly, leaving sediment highly contaminated. These seeps affect the fish, the people who eat the fish, and the contaminant load of the river.(14) He further notes that the EPA has not committed the funding for all of the remediation work, and the subsurface barrier has not yet been installed. Completion of this wall, expected in early 2003, should prevent seeps of creosote from contaminating the river and river sediment.(15) An estimated $7 million is needed to complete the sediment cap, followed by an additional $3 million for the upland soil cap.(16) If EPA does not provide funding for the sediment cap by spring 2003, its construction will be put on hold. The EPA has obligated only $10.7 million to date, less than half the project's $25.5 million estimated cleanup cost.(17) Should the residents of nearby communities be forced to live with this partially cleaned-up Superfund site in their backyard? With the Superfund Trust Fund almost out of funding, they may have little choice. 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