Will the proposed CDFs accept all
material dredged from Portland Harbor,
including highly toxic material?
No. Acceptance criteria will be developed
for each CDF that specifies the maximum
contaminant concentration allowed in
that CDF. EPA has already determined
that sediment from highly contaminated
areas like Gasco and Arkema may not be
placed in CDFs without prior treatment
such that the material meets the
acceptance criteria.

Will the CDFs leak contaminants into the
river?

Only sediment that meets the
acceptance criteria will be allowed to be
placed in the CDF. One of the purposes
of the limit on the concentration of
contaminants permitted within the CDF
is to ensure that the CDF does not
release contaminants to the Willamette
River at unacceptable levels for humans
or animals.

How will we know if the CDF is
adequately holding the contaminants?
Short-term monitoring during
construction and long-term monitoring
after construction wili be conducted to
ensure the CDF is functioning.
Groundwater will be monitored within
the CDF and the berm (the berm
separates the CDF from the river) to
ensure contaminants are not leaching
into the river at unacceptable
concentrations. Routine inspections and
inspections after floods, earthquakes,
and other natural disasters of the CDF
structure and berm wili be conducted

EPA is currently reviewing options for
addressing Portland Harbor contaminated
sediments outlined in the Feasibility Study.
We anticipated having a draft proposed plan
which will summarize the cleanup options and
propose a preferred course of action available
for public comment in 2014. Your input on
the draft plan is one of the factors considered
before we finalize a cleanup plan for Portland
Harbor. Until then, we'll continue to meet
with community members to answer
questions and provide information that may
help inform your input on the proposed plan.

For more information

EPA website

www.epa.gov/regionlO/portlandharbor/

More CDF questions:

http://www.epa.gov/regionl0/pdf/ph/t4/cdf
_FAQs_2013.pdf

Sign up for updates and future meetings

notifications: bit.ly/ptlndhrbr

Community involvement questions:
Alanna Conley, 503-326-6831

CDF questions:

Sean Sheldrake, 206-553-1220

General Portland Harbor questions:
Chip Humphrey, 503-326-2678

Portland Harbor Cleanup:
Community Questions on
Confined Disposal Facilities

August 2013

EPA has received questions about confined
disposal facilities (CDFs) from the community.
Included are frequently asked community
questions and answers. The purpose of this
guide is to share a snapshot of what we've heard
so far and to offer information shared during
previous community meetings. See the contact
information on the back of this brochure for
other CDF questions and answers, general
information about Portland Harbor and how to
contact us.

What is a CDF?

A CDF is an engineered structure that is fortified
and built to completely contain dredged
sediment. A CDF can be constructed in-water,
nearshore, or in an upland area.

Has EPA approved the use of CDFs in Portland
Harbor?

No. EPA is still evaluating the use of CDFs as a
disposal option.

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Will the proposed CDFs be able to withstand
a flood?

EPA has established performance standards
for the design of CDFs in Portland Harbor that
address flood hazards. The CDFs must be
designed to withstand a 100-year flood.

Will the proposed CDFs be able to withstand
an earthquake?

EPA has established performance standards
for the design of Portland Harbor CDFs. The
design for the Terminal 4 CDF is 60%
complete, and analysis of the design indicates
the CDF could withstand a magnitude 9.0
Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and a
relatively close magnitude 6.2 earthquake.

Will the CDFs cause air pollution?

Dust from placement of contaminated
sediment is not expected due to the wet
conditions that will be present during CDF
filling. Once filled, a surface cover would be
placed over the confined contaminated
sediment in the CDF to prevent exposure
including by dust. The most common
contaminants in Portland Harbor sediment do
not evaporate readily and generally do not
include volatile compounds such as gasoline,
benzene, or chlorinated solvents. Dredging
and sediment handling operations at other
Superfund sites in the Pacific Northwest with
similar contaminants have found no significant
impacts to air quality.

Will the CDFs affect aquatic
habitat?

Yes. However, the loss of any
habitat will need to be
compensated for by
improving habitat elsewhere
in the river. This may result in
providing higher quality
habitat than what was lost
(e.g., low-value habitat at
Terminal 4 replaced with high
quality habitat elsewhere).

Who will pay for construction
of the CDFs?

Typically, funding comes from
the owner or other parties
who want to place sediments
in the CDF. The proposed
Terminal 4 CDF would be
owned and operated by the
Port of Portland.

What locations are being considered for
CDFs in Portland Harbor?

Three CDFs are currently being considered
for Portland Harbor: Port of Portland
Terminal 4 Slip 1, the upper end of Swan
Island Lagoon, and offshore of the Arkema
site. See map.

Have other options, besides CDFs, been
considered for addressing contaminated
sediments? Were cost comparisons
prepared to evaluate the CDFs against
these other options?

The Portland Harbor draft Feasibility Study
(FS) contains an analysis of a variety of
options for addressing the wide range of
contaminated sediments in the harbor. The
options evaluated included in-situ, or in-
place, treatment (e.g., use of materials such
as activated carbon that can absorb
contaminants in sediment), covering it with
clean soil (capping), allowing cleaner
sediments from upriver to cover it up
(natural recovery), disposal in upland
landfills, use of CDFs, and treatment of
contaminated sediments prior to disposal in
a CDF. Cost comparisons for these options
were included in the Portland Harbor draft
FS.

When will EPA make a decision about the
use of CDFs in Portland Harbor? Will the
public be able to provide input on CDFs?
EPA will provide a decision of how we plan to
clean up contaminated sediments in Portland
Harbor in a proposed plan, which should be
available in late 2014. EPA will provide the
public an opportunity to comment on the
proposed plan before a final cleanup decision
is made. If EPA proposes the use of CDFs in
the proposed plan, then the public is invited
to provide comments.

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