fall 2012-winter 2013 newsletter - Columbia Riverkeeper

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LEGAL VICTORY COULD HALT OREGON LNG'S PROPOSED TERMINAL PLANS IN THEIR TRACKS. NORTHWEST ... Riverkeeper has expanded ou
RIVER CURRENTS | FALL/WINTER 2013 NEWSLETTER

CANCER-CAUSING TOXICS FOUND IN COLUMBIA RIVER FISH LEGAL VICTORY COULD HALT OREGON LNG’S PROPOSED TERMINAL PLANS IN THEIR TRACKS NORTHWEST CITIZENS STAND UP TO COAL EXPORT PROPOSALS HANFORD’S STORAGE TANKS LEAKING RADIOACTIVE WASTE

Paddle Past Coal, Columbia River Paddle. | PHOTOS BY ADAM MILLS ELLIOTT

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LIV BRUMFIELD

COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER | Fall/Winter 2013 Newsletter

Our Team Brett VandenHeuvel, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lauren Goldberg, STAFF ATTORNEY Miles Johnson, CLEAN WATER ATTORNEY Dan Serres, CONSERVATION DIRECTOR Lorri Epstein, WATER QUALITY DIRECTOR Christina Skirvin, PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR Robin Engle, DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Theresa Labriola, HANFORD COORDINATOR Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky, COMMUNITY ORGANIZER

Our Board Carter Case, PRESIDENT Laura Guimond, VICE PRESIDENT Captain Peter Wilcox, SECRETARY Cheryl Meyers, TREASURER Dan Belica | Colleen Coleman | Karen Trusty Tom Wood | Jason Salmi Klotz | Thane Tienson Kris Gann | Liv Brumfield | Se-ah-dom Edmo

About the Cover Photo by Adam Mills Elliott | Northwest citizens kayaked to Ambre Energy's proposed coal export terminal at Port Westward, sending a message to Governor Kitzhaber: No Coal On Our Columbia!

WWW.COLUMBIARIVERKEEPER.ORG

Our Mission Columbia Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect and restore the water quality of the Columbia River and all life connected to it, from the headwaters to the Pacific Ocean. Our strategy for protecting the Columbia includes working in river communities and protecting the people, fish and wildlife that depend on the Columbia River.

Our Vision for the Columbia Columbia Riverkeeper’s vision is to restore a Columbia Basin with clean, clear waters flowing cold from the headwaters to the Pacific Ocean. Our vision is for a Columbia with healthy salmon runs that can support traditional harvest by Native Americans and non-native fishermen. In our vision, a broad range of diverse interests will bring back a Columbia River that parents can let their children play in without fear of toxic exposure. The Columbia River we work to bring back is bordered by vibrant bands of riparian habitat and home to a rich diversity of native fish and wildlife. In short, our vision is for a Columbia River Basin that the people of the United States and Canada can be proud of. Riverkeeper uses a range of activities to protect and restore the Columbia, including public education, grassroots organizing, enforcement of environmental laws and on-the-river monitoring.

Clean Water. We’ll Fight for It.

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COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER | Fall/Winter 2013 Newsletter

RIVER NOTES I had the great pleasure of paddling down the White Salmon River through the former Condit Dam site in November, soon after the river opened for public access. Joining Wet Planet Whitewater, we paddled between the high bedrock walls where the dam once stood, yelled out a big cheer, eddied out on a gravel bar, and someone passed around a bottle of champagne. The dam is gone. The White Salmon runs free!

SAM DREVO

A Letter from the Director

When I say the dam is gone, I mean gone. Unless you look very closely, you don’t see any traces of it. PacifiCorp did a great job removing the dam. They should try it more often. In a few years, people will paddle through those bedrock walls without knowing where the dam sat. Even more exciting is seeing the salmon return. Standing on the bank of what used to be the stagnant reservoir, I watched female Chinook protect their eggs, circling large redds dug in the newly-restored river bed. The river is redistributing sediment, riparian plants are growing, and the first of many waves of salmon is returning. A river restored!

Riverkeeper Executive Director, Brett VandenHeuvel

JOIN US ONLINE Riverkeeper has expanded our online presence & we’d like to connect with you! Follow us on Twitter (@ColumbiaRKeeper), Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr for:  up-to-date information on our program

work  important events  videos & photos  news that affects the Columbia and all life

dependent on it

www.columbiariverkeeper.org

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COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER | Fall/Winter 2013 Newsletter

New Radioactive Leaks From Hanford Tanks: Do We Have a Backup Plan? By Dan Serres, Conservation Director In October, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) acknowledged a double-shelled tank is leaking nuclear waste at Hanford. The nuclear waste between the tank’s inner shell, and was captured by the outer shell. The outer shell is still assumed sound, but we are concerned this might pose a threat to the nearby environment. In response, residents of the Pacific Northwest are demanding a robust, durable solution to Hanford’s nuclear and chemical waste problem. Over a million gallons of highly dangerous radioactive and chemical liquid contamination have already polluted U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, OFFICE OF RIVER PROTECTION Hanford’s soil and groundwater. The new leak adds to concerns about radioactive contamination from dozens of aging, liquid-filled tanks. The seepage of tank waste underscores the importance of stabilizing Hanford’s nuclear and chemical waste. Without an effective Hanford clean-up effort, more contamination will pollute the Columbia River for generations to come.

LEAKS FROM A DOUBLE-SHELLED TANK PRESENT A NEW CHALLENGE DOE uses underground tanks to store dangerous radioactive nuclear waste on the Hanford site. One aging doubleshelled underground tank called AY-102 is leaking from its inner shell. For decades, DOE assumed that doubleshelled tanks could hold the liquid nuclear waste until the waste was stabilized in a glass-like form. While there is no evidence that the outer wall of AY-102 has leaked, the situation is a concern. Now it has become apparent that some of the tanks are so old they cannot be relied U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY upon to contain waste. For the first time, DOE must confront the potential that its back-up plan has failed. At a recent Hanford Advisory Board meeting, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) stated that it was “enormously concerned” about the new leak and added the situation was “extremely serious.” DOE candidly acknowledged the significance of the leak and committed to reviewing other tanks to detect any additional leaks. Recently, DOE announced that it was moving equipment into place to empty nuclear waste if the tank leak becomes more severe.

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COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER | Fall/Winter 2013 Newsletter UNSOLVED PROBLEM - NUCLEAR WASTE IS LEAKING TOWARDS THE COLUMBIA RIVER

The agencies are relying on double-shelled tanks to prevent dangerous liquid nuclear and chemical waste from leaching into Hanford’s soil and groundwater. The DOE’s Tank Closure/Waste Management Environmental Impact Statement – a study that required years to complete – recognized the importance of preventing leaks from Hanford’s tanks. This study assumed that double-shelled tanks would contain dangerous nuclear waste until the Waste Treatment Plant could operate effectively. Unfortunately, construction of the Waste Treatment Plant has stalled because of unresolved safety concerns. Leading engineers for the Waste Treatment Plant have objected to the current design and oversight of the project. In the meantime, without a functioning treatment and immobilization facility, the DOE will require additional capacity to store nuclear waste. Columbia Riverkeeper concurs with a consensus opinion from the Hanford Advisory Board, which calls on the DOE to immediately embark on a new effort to construct and operate new storage tanks for Hanford’s dangerous waste. Without additional tank capacity on-site, efforts to immobilize and stabilize nuclear waste will fail. DOE and Ecology are taking the tank waste situation seriously and are working together to investigate their options to deal with the leaking tanks. We urge both agencies to protect the Columbia River by constructing new storage tanks as soon as possible. This product was funded through a grant from the Washington Department of Ecology. While these materials were reviewed for grant consistency, this does not necessarily constitute endorsement by the Department.

Demand a robust, effective, and immediate clean-up at Hanford so we can enjoy a nuclear waste-free Columbia River.

DONATE TODAY: www.columbiariverkeeper.org/donate MATT MCCORMICK

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COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER | Fall/Winter 2013 Newsletter

 Is Your Fish Toxic?  Study Results Columbia Riverkeeper recently released the results of our “Is Your Fish Toxic?” study, which revealed shocking levels of toxic pollution in local fishermen’s catch. As a part of this study, Riverkeeper met fishermen and tested fish bound for the dinner table. We tested three fish caught from the Columbia River, including a bass near Hood River, a sturgeon near Astoria, and a sucker in Portland. We detected PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) and heavy metals exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) safe levels for consumption, as well as toxic flame retardants (PBDEs). PBDEs are known endocrine disruptors that can increase the risk of cancer and disrupt hormone function. Our results confirm there is too much toxic pollution in the Columbia River. Many people rely on fish as a healthy food source, and fish advisories prohibiting fishing are not the answer. It’s time to reduce the amount of toxic pollution dumped into the river every day. The study continues, and we plan to collect and test more fish samples from the Columbia. Contact Lorri Epstein, Water Quality Director, at [email protected] if you would like to get involved or have questions about the study.

MEET THE FISHERMEN

Fisherman Greg Bass Fisherman Daniel Pop

Fisherman Bob Rees

For more information on the study and to view the results in full detail, visit www.columbiariverkeeper.org/water-quality/how-toxic-is-your-fish.

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COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER | Fall/Winter 2013 Newsletter FISHERMAN: Greg Short FISH SPECIES TESTED: Bass LOCATION FISH WAS CAUGHT: Bonneville Pool near Hood River, Oregon OTHER TOXICS DETECTED IN FISH: Heavy Metals — Selenium, Barium, Chromium, Copper, and Lead

Toxic Pollutant

Amount of Toxic Pollutant Found in Fish Sample (PPM)

EPA Limit* (PPM)

Percent EPA Limit Exceeded

PCBs

No Detection