07/15/2005

By NIKI SULLIVAN  / Associated Press

A group of river advocates paddled 72 miles upriver from Portland, arriving Friday in Salem to urge Gov. Ted Kulongoski to clean up the Willamette.

The group of 30 paddlers, lead by the Sierra Club, took three days to reach the Capitol steps, where they stood by a giant mailbox filled with postcards to the governor.

"What we've seen thus far have been empty promises," said Nat Parker of the Sierra Club.

Parker said toxic mixing zones — or areas where cities and industrial users are allowed to discharge higher concentrations of pollutants — are an enormous threat to the health of the river.

Parker pointed to a poster of a National Geographic cover from 30 years ago that showed the Willamette River, which had been cleaned up under the leadership of Gov. Tom McCall. He said Kulongoski needs to demonstrate similar leadership with river cleanup.

The governor has said cleaning up the Willamette River is one of his top priorities, and has crafted a plan to do so.

But environmental groups are upset that he does not plan to get rid of the toxic mixing zones. He has said there are more cost-effective, proven ways to clean up the river.

"Toxic mixing zones must be addressed in any clean up plan," said Rhett Lawrence, an environmental advocate with the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group.

Lawrence said efforts to phase out the mixing zones have all but failed with the Legislature, so it's even more important for the governor and the state Department of Environmental Quality to act.

Bob Rees, president of the Northwest Guides and Anglers Association, said sport fishing suffers when the river is polluted.

"This is not the kind of publicity we need," he said, holding up a health advisory that warned against eating fish from the river.

In addition to phasing out toxic mixing zones, the group is asking the DEQ to release information on quantities of toxic waste dumped into the Willamette, monitor discharges that exceed the state's limit, increase monitoring of the river and require polluters to use waste-reducing technologies.

A spokeswoman for the governor said he appreciates the group's concern.

"The governor has always listened to their concerns and really looked at this from a best public policy standpoint," Holly Armstrong said.

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On the Net:

http://www.sierraclub.org/community/portland