Toxics Reduction

The Columbia River, and the communities who depend on it, face serious threats from toxic pollution. Everyday thousands of pipes buried under and along the Columbia River discharge hundreds of pounds of toxic pollution from cities, industry, and dirty stormwater run-off. Pesticides and heavy metals also enter the river from non-point source pollution, such as runoff from agricultural lands and air deposition.

That’s where Riverkeeper comes in. We are focused on achieving measurable reductions in toxic pollution in the fish and wildlife—and in turn people—of the mighty Columbia. We’re working to address all levels of the problem:

  • supporting scientific studies to understand how toxics are impacting the Columbia’s fish and wildlife
  • fighting for new laws that limit toxic pollution
  • holding illegal polluters accountable for threatening public health and fish.

Learn more about how toxics threaten the Columbia and the people that rely on it here and about Riverkeeper’s groundbreaking project How Toxic is Your Fish?

Our Work to Reduce Toxic Pollution

Toxic-Free Fish Campaign. Riverkeeper’s Toxic-Free Fish Campaign is working for accurate, protective toxic pollution limits—referred to as water quality standards—to reduce cancer-causing pollution in the Columbia. Riverkeeper was an important part of Oregon’s landmark 2011 decision to adopt the nation’s most protective standards, which followed years of tremendous leadership by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Now we are working to bring similar changes to Washington’s toxics water quality standards.

Polluted Runoff. When it rains, water rushes across industrial areas, capturing pollutants such as lead, zinc, and oils. The polluted stormwater is typically discharged directly to the Columbia River and its tributaries without any treatment. To address pollution from thousands of industrial facilities along the Columbia, Riverkeeper plays an active role in the public input process for Oregon and Washington’s industrial stormwater pollution permits—in some cases challenging the permits in court if they violate clean water laws

Toxic Energy Projects. Riverkeeper has successfully fought new coal-fired power plants along the Columbia River and worked to reduce pollution, and eventually shutdown, of Oregon’s only coal-fired power plant, PGE Boardman. Riverkeeper is also working to protect the Columbia from proposals to export coal to Asia from Columbia River Ports supplied by coal trains through out towns.

Legacy Pollution Sites. Riverkeeper works with effected communities to provide technical and legal assistance on the complicated cleanup processes at legacy pollution sites along the Columbia, including former aluminum smelters and World War II era military sites.