Port of Astoria

PORT OF ASTORIA READY TO RESOLVE DECADES-OLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION

For over 20 years, the Port of Astoria has been involved in negotiations over soil and groundwater contamination at the base of Slip 2, an area referred to as Area of Concern 4 (AOC4). The process to resolve liability has been lengthy and fraught with obstacles, but the Port is determined to see a resolution that will allow them to finally move forward with clean-up of the site.

The contamination of AOC4 is a result of leaking underground storage tanks, pipes and other faulty infrastructure that had been utilized for oil delivery to marine vessels on Pier 2 during the last century. Petroleum hydrocarbons, including gasoline and dieselrange constituents, have contaminated site soil and groundwater. Free product also has been identified in the groundwater and appears as a sheen on the surface water of Slip 2.

For most of the 1900s, the property was leased to oil companies that used the site for various services, including manufacturing, automotive service stations, bulk fuel storage facilities and fuel pipelines. In December of 2001, an order was issued by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to the Port of Astoria, as well as various former leaseholders, to fund and perform a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study. This group formed the Astoria Area-Wide Petroleum Site PRP Group.

Fast-forward to 2021, and the Remedial Investigation Study has been completed and a cost-sharing agreement has been signed by the Port of Astoria and other PRPs. The proposed clean-up project would include the construction and placement of an absorbent Marine Mattress system, which is a prefabricated grid of geotextile and composite materials, filled with gravel and a granular organoclay mixture designed to absorb petroleum constituents from groundwater passing through the mattress into Slip 2. Additional responsibilities of the Port would include annual monitoring of the physical condition of the Marine Mattress and the site for the next thirty years.

As of July 2021, the Port has been waiting on a final Consent Order from DEQ, which will allow them to move forward with the project. From the Port’s perspective, this is the time to implement the proposed clean-up project that would resolve the groundwater contamination.

Even with shared responsibility of other PRPs, the project will be costly and will not be a source of any additional revenues, but for the Port’s leadership team this is a highpriority project. Says the Port’s Executive Director: “To me, this is much bigger than just the dollars. We have a responsibility, much like DEQ; we have a shared vision in this regard; to be good stewards of the environment. And I think that’s what we’re trying to do.”

PORT OF ASTORIA LOOKS TO THE FUTURE WITH STRATEGIC AND CAPITAL FACILITIES PLANS

In May of 2021, the Port of Astoria reached a landmark goal when Business Oregon officially approved their Strategic Business and Capital Facilities plans. This represents the culmination of a years-long effort to develop a comprehensive professional plan that will serve to guide the Port in future planning and development and will strengthen its relationship with Business Oregon. The Strategic Business Plan was initiated in 2016 and finalized in 2019. A link to the Port of Astoria’s Strategic Business Plan has been included on the Business Oregon website to serve as a modern reference for other ports and the ports community.

The recently completed Capital Facilities Plan is a grounding reference for the Port, with a time map of all projects, based on funding, which will help the Port to further consider project needs such as permitting, contract, grant funding, and more moving forward. Business Plan, these two documents represent a major turning point in the Port's recent history. Working together and in support of each other, both documents provide critical direction and focus at a time when such highly focused efforts are necessary to maintain the Port's role as an economic driver for the NW Oregon region and the state. Ultimately, the Strategic Business and Capital Facilities plans will be rolled up into a new Intergovernmental Agreement between Business Oregon and the Port of Astoria. The full text of these plans and more can be found on the Port Vision & Projects section of the Port of Astoria website: www. portofastoria.com.