Northport Waterfront Cleanup Action Plan: Comment period 5/2-6/1/22
Comment From:
Mindy Smith
5/31/22 @ 9:29 AM
I think the plan looks good. My only suggestion is to include more detail on the periodic review - what would be included? Is this just visual redeposition/erosion (and how assessed) or will there be some sampling? How will the public be informed abo...↓ut those results? Thanks for the opportunity to comment.
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Comment From:
Jael Regis
5/24/22 @ 6:27 PM
Justin,
Thank you and the WA State Department of Ecology for the opportunity to comment on the waterfront draft cleanup plan. The Northport Historical Society has a concern that was not addressed during the meeting on May 17, 2022.
We are concerned...↓ about the fate of the brick ruin of the smelter pumping station located near the boat ramp. This historical artifact is the last vestige of the smelter in Northport. On GeoEngineers figure A.6, it appears that the proposed cleanup will bury this brick platform.
When we discussed the situation with John Roland a year ago, he indicated that it could be preserved.
We would like to see this area saved. Please review any notes that John may have made regarding this. We look forward to hearing from you on this subject.
Sincerely, Jael Regis, President, Northport Historical Society 509-563-9514 jjregis@outlook.com
A link for our website with a discussion of the pumping station: https://www.northporthistory.org/smelter-pumping-station.hmtl
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Comment From:
Marc Schneider
5/17/22 @ 3:28 PM
How long will the clean up take? A beach on the upper Columbia is not a good idea. What happens to the boat ramp? How do we gain access to the river? Not having it would be a major setback to this community.
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Comment From:
Jack Mitchell
5/15/22 @ 11:24 AM
Even though certain things can be helped by man, the best plan of action is to let nature take it's course. Just let it be. Blacksands clean up obviously didn't work, because the sands are black again. If this project happens, I'm not sure if this p...↓rocess will close down the boat ramp? It is the only one to access the upper river with improved ramps. Also the idea of a swimming beach is a major liability as the upper Columbia really is not a great swimming river. Quite dangerous, really. About a decade ago or so there was a federal study that came in and wiped out a bunch of fish in the river to collect metal samples so as to arm the lawyers in a litigation against Cominco.... The river has actually never been the same since, when it comes to trout population. Instead of some long litigation battle, and lining the pockets of a bunch of attorneys, my suggestion would be to just quit dumping metal in the river and let it be. Let nature take it's course at this juncture, and quit trying to manipulate. Pretty simple; But who am I, I'm just a fishing guide. The interesting part about this study that happened was that Washington state fish and wildlife department didn't even know about it.
In the last 33 years of Guiding in Washington , I have watched our natural resources go by the wayside generally due to miss management in my humble opinion.
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Comment From:
Justin Hotchkiss
5/15/22 @ 6:58 AM
My name is Justin Hotchkiss, I am owner of FarNorth Charters and have been a flyfishing guide on the Upper Columbia since 2006 and I've been fishing the river for 38 plus years. I watched the last project at Black sand beach from start to finish and ...↓the beach is black again, just pointing out that the river will just keep washing contamination down every spring with high water. This site will do the same. My opinion is just leave it alone. The removal of soil and rocks will only stir up the contamination affecting habitat down stream. It will kill decades of aquatic insects that the native Red Band rainbows use as subsistence, it will remove native spawning beds for all species of game fish in the upper reaches. There need to be impact studies on these subjects before playing God. This litigation with Teck has put a hurting on this native species of trout with the killing of Thousands of fish using gill nets that no one knew about or had any say in. We still see a sever impact from this. Also encouraging a beach area will only lead to more people /kids drowning. This is not a swimming river and never has been. There are many factors to consider before we just go and stir up a bees hive with not knowing it full impact , just to make someone feel like there making it better.
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Comment From:
Lee Helle
5/04/22 @ 12:24 PM
Northport cleanup sounds Great! However perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from past efforts to clean up the river.
A few years ago the EPA cleaned up the area known as the black sand beach upriver from Northport, the black sand was trucked out a...↓nd replacement sand hauled in to replace it.
The next spring when the river was full and running strongly as it does every year, most of the replacement sand went down river.
This time after removing the contaminated soil in front of Northport, why not use course gravel and let Mother nature put sand where she wants it? She had a few more years experience than our planners ☺
Lee Helle
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