Tag: US EPA

Community, Event, Government

82nd Ave Heat Islands Workshop July 22

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oregon Metro, and partner organizations will host a community workshop focused on cooling down 82nd Avenue for the health and safety of its residents. The organizers invite people to pre-register for this free event on July 22nd from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. However, organizers are seeking youth participants, renters, and community members who are not often included in planning conversations to participate. The Dharma Rain Zen Center, located at 8500 NE Siskiyou Street, will host this Tuesday evening gathering. Attendees will receive food and beverages, but registration is required, and organizers explained that space is limited.

People familiar with 82nd Avenue understand how hot it is during the summer months, as the corridor exhibits a significant heat island effect, where pavement and other elements increase the temperature higher than surrounding areas. Workshop leaders believe that addressing this Portland urban heat zone requires governments to collaborate with the people who live and work in those areas to develop community-driven ideas for a cooler, healthier, and more interconnected 82nd Avenue.

Event flyer for a community workshop titled '82ND IS HOT' aimed at cooling down 82nd Avenue, featuring a date, time, location, contact information, and QR code for registration.

This workshop will connect attendees with federal, regional, and city government officials working alongside community advocacy groups, including Oregon Walks, the 82nd Avenue Coalition, and APANO. Transit provider TriMet is also a partner organization, as it is working to expand the FX Bus Rapid Transit system along 82nd Avenue with zero-emission buses powered by hydrogen, which emit less exhaust heat.

People interested in participating should register before the slots fill up and consider sharing the information with renters and youth who can contribute their unique perspectives to solutions to the harmful temperatures in the 82nd Avenue community.

By

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the 82nd Avenue Transit Project Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and the board of the 82nd Avenue Business Association which is a member organization of the 82nd Avenue Coalition.

Community, Crime

SE 86th Ave Closed for EPA Cleanup

Earlier today, crews working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) closed a one-block section of SE 86th Avenue from SE Stark Street to SE Washington Street in an effort to contain a mercury spill. A representative for the EPA indicated that a person deposited the hazardous substance on a vehicle in an act of vandalism. The car is parked along the west side of SE 86th Avenue and is currently surrounded by plastic containment tarps to prevent the mercury from spilling onto the ground. 

Cleanup efforts will continue tomorrow and may last several days. Mercury is a silvery-white metal that remains liquid at room temperature. Mercury spills have the potential to cause damage to the human nervous system if a person suffers prolonged exposure or encounters high levels of the element. Cleanup crews are monitoring the site for signs of mercury vapor, which forms from droplets that evaporate. It is an odorless, colorless vapor that is invisible to the eye. People should be safe from the ill effects of mercury vapor if they stay outside the closed-off area.

People should avoid the area while cleanup is underway and not touch any mercury droplets if they encounter them. This is a developing story; we will update it with more information when it becomes available.

Update (August 27th, 2023): NWFF Environmental crews working with the US EPA and Oregon DEQ have returned to the site today. They anticipate another full day of cleanup followed by more testing. The results of those tests will determine if they need to return. The intentional mercury spill occurred in the early morning of August 24th. It took the car’s owner several days and many attempts to escalate the incident to the right agency.  

The initial examination found mercury droplets on the vehicle and mercury vapor inside the car’s engine compartment. EPA and DEQ officials on-site noted the dangerous “hot spot” for mercury is relatively confined. Crews have focused on the three curbside parking spaces around the vehicle and the planting strip next to them. Officials created a wider perimeter around the street and sidewalk to keep people from getting too close to the work zone. 

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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