POLLUTION
We already know POLLUTION is something that gets in the
AIR
WATER
LAND
that hurts...
PLANTS
ANIMALS
PEOPLE
In the
Environmental Law world...
There’s 2 kinds of POLLUTION
POINT source POLLUTION
NON-POINT source POLLUTION
POINT source POLLUTION
When you can POINT to the source of some pollution:
Any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged such as:
•A pipe
•Ditch
•Ship
•Factory smokestack
Industrial pollution, Calumet River in Illinois
POINT source POLLUTION
POINT source POLLUTION
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: 11 million gallons of oil spilled in 1989 in Alaska
NON-POINT source POLLUTION
When you CAN’T tell who polluted - it’s called NON-POINT SOURCE
Examples include: gas and oil that leaks out of all the cars on our roads
Heavy metals from brake dust and tires
Dirt that moves with EROSION
Anything that gets washed down the stormdrain when it rains and you can’t POINT to where it came from
WHO POLLUTED?
Who cleans up
NON-POINT source POLLUTION?
Who cleans up
NON-POINT source POLLUTION?
It depends on the place and the mess - the City of Portland has ways to treat stormwater to help reduce pollution
Some stormwater pipe systems are designed to catch pollution
We also see BIOSWALES like this that collect polluted water and plants will hold onto the pollution
POINT source POLLUTION
EXAMPLE
What does Metro Metals have to do with POLLUTION?
Originally Chinook land, Neerchokikoo village
I840s-1990: Farm land
1992-Present: Metro Metals NW-
Scrap Metal Recycling Company
What does Metro Metals have to do with POLLUTION?
Metro Metals discharges stormwater to East Whitaker Pond.
In 2008 Metro Metals installed a stormwater treatment system, which appears to be working
BUT: there’s still HEAVY METALS in the sediment from 1992-2008
https://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/ECSI/ecsidetail.asp?seqnbr=5455
SEDIMENT: soil particles that are underwater
Heavy Metals:
LOVE to stick to soil particles
It is really hard to separate them
once they are in
Soil (on the land) or
Sediment (under water)
SOIL PARTICLES
It’s in the SEDIMENT and it came from Metro Metals
CHROMIUM:
High concentrations of chromium can damage the gills of fish that swim near the point of disposal.
In animals, chromium can harm breathing, the immune system, and fertility
It can cause birth defects and tumors.
COPPER:
The main way copper hurts fish is in their gills.
It also affects:
Egg hatching
Immune System
Metabolism
A fish liver with too much copper in it:
It’s in the SEDIMENT and it came from Metro Metals
LEAD:
Lead is a poisonous metal
It hurts the nervous system in mammals
It causes physiological and behavioral changes in fish
Over time, lead hurts blood enzymes,
The balance of salty fluids in the body,
Causes body problems in fish such as
Black tails, curved spines, shrinking muscles, fins stop working, and paralysis
It’s in the SEDIMENT and it came from Metro Metals
PCB 1254:
Liver and Kidney damage, neurological effects, developmental effects, endocrine effects, hematological effects, and death.
It’s in the SEDIMENT and it came from Metro Metals
ZINC:
Hurts gill tissues
Stops calcium uptake
It’s in the SEDIMENT and it came from Metro Metals
WOW - these HEAVY METALS are problem!
They are getting into all the animals that live at Whitaker Ponds.
How do we fix this problem?
These two have to work together to solve the problem
They made a plan:
Dig out the sediment with the MOST heavy metals in it
Metro Metals is paying for that
They made a plan:
Put ACTIVATED CARBON in the ground to trap PCBs so animals don’t eat them
Metro Metals is paying for that
They made a plan:
Pour a layer of clean SAND on top of the sediment
Metro Metals is paying for that
Will that make it better?
This project was completed in Fall of 2021.
You can visit Whitaker Ponds and see for yourself!