Opponents of superfund site sediment disposal in Wasco County call out $6 billion in transportation cost

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May 14

Written By Columbia Community Connection

Aerial view of Portland and the Willamette River at the Steel Bridge and Broadway Bridge, circa 1927 - city of Portland archives. The Portland Harbor between the Broadway Bridge and Sauvie Island has been classified a Superfund Site because of the toxins that have been deposited by companies into the sediment in this stretch of the river. Those potentially responsible parties are now working toward a plan to dredge and dump some of the sediment, possibly in Wasco, Gilliam and Klickitat counties.

By Aaron Girdham

The Dalles, Ore., May 14, 2026 — Opposition to the hauling of millions of tons of sediment from the Portland Harbor Superfund site to the landfill in Wasco County was on sharp display on Monday night at the Columbia River Inn near The Dalles Bridge as Neighbors for Clean Air held a third community conference.

Neighbors For Clean Air is a non-profit organization based out of Portland, who raise awareness to Northwest and Gorge communities of environmental and public health hazards. The organization has been making communication efforts with The Dalles addressing the potential hauling and placement of an approximate 5 million tons of Willamette River sediment from the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, according to Neighbors For Clean Air.

Wasco County Commissioner Jeff Justesen attended the meeting and spoke on behalf of the county.

“I have been keeping this issue on my radar…,” he said. “The county council and our director of community development are really aware of this, are following up, and are starting to work on this. What I can guarantee right now is that we have been assured by Waste Connections that there has been no direct contact from the EPA about this transfer happening.”

“I want everybody to know that sometime in the summer or the fall, we will be redoing the solid waste ordinance for the county,” Justesen continued. “That will become a public meeting. Coming out of that meeting will be the Solid Waste Advisory Council, which will be a group of people from the landfill, from the county, from concerned citizens, from agencies involved, and from the city. They are the ones who advise the county commissioners on issues about solid waste and disposal.”

The Wasco County Commissioners will be accepting applications to the new advisory council in June.

Mary Preveto with Neighbors for Clean Air

Executive director of Neighbors For Clean Air Mary Preveto flagged this point.

“There is no current proposal, contract, nothing that is saying there is a deal being made directly with Wasco County landfill and the Portland Harbor Superfund. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t decisions being made right now that won’t include this option later down the road.”

“We think this year is the critical window to ensure this community’s concerns…,” she said. “The EPA has designated that the potentially responsible parties and businesses must have their plans completed by 2027, so that is why right now is an opportunity to impact the disposal options.”

The disposal of the sediment to the Wasco County Landfill, “is not only environmentally and socially the worst option, but also financially,” Preveto added. “The cost of this is potentially 6 billion dollars, with seventy percent of that cost being in transportation. From an environmental standpoint that is a six billion dollar investment in fossil fuel burning.”

Mary Stites, staff attorney at Northwest Environmental Defense Center, presented many legal arguments against the disposal.

“We view the legal system as one small tool for advancing environmental quality and public health and other equity concerns,” she said, noting the possibility of defending The Dalles from the sediment haul through environmental defense laws, air permits, and the Storm Water Pollution Permit.

Waste Connections, which operates the landfill and The Dalles Disposal made it clear their was no deal to accept sediment from the superfund site.

Cyndi Holloway, Governmental and Community Affairs Director at Waste Connections, stated “Waste Connections value our relationship with the County. Yes, while we are a billion dollar company across the U.S. and Canada, I want to be crystal clear that we also are very discentralized—meaning every site and every and every location is really self managed and relationship based.”

“So being here tonight and listening to your concerns are really going to help us make a decision. It isn’t just money for Waste Connections, it truly is looking at the product that is coming into the landfill analyzing that product and deciding if it makes sense for the community.”

I want you to rest assured that your voices were heard,” Holloway said. “We will be taking all this information back to our team. Our team consists of environmental engineers, attorneys, and myself with community relations. We will be making a statement and a decision shortly.”

Neighbors For Clean Air also implored locals to get involved and make their voices heard, especially to Gov. Tina Kotek.

“Right now the US EPA is pushing hard on Portland Harbor Superfund Clean up plans that have huge implications for the safety and well being of communities that are hundreds of miles from Portland,” Preveto said. “Neighbors of the potential disposal sites should have their voices heard on this matter. All levels of government, up to the Governor's office, need to hear from Wasco County residents that they don't want Portland’s problem hauled into their community.”

Read CCCNew’s orginal reporting on the topic here: Wasco County, Arlington, Bickleton eyed for hazardous sediment dumping from Portland; TD pushing back