By State Representative Rob Nosse
I don’t talk about the outdoors that much in these columns but with summer here I think this topic just makes sense. As you all know, just on the edge of our Oregon House district is the Willamette River. We have all heard someone say (or maybe we were the one to think) that the water’s gross. Heck, if you asked me to get in a few years ago, I would have hesitated. But since 2010, Portland’s Human Access Project (HAP), led by Willie Levenson, has been showing us that this untapped blue space is nothing but an opportunity for human community and fun. HAP has spent the last 14 years working to transform Portland’s relationship with the Willamette.
Back in the early 1920s, the Willamette River was the spot of the summer for Portlanders. Places like Windemuth, a popular swimming and dancing floating platform located near Ross Island, hosted hundreds of swimmers a day. Sadly, all of these recreational facilities eventually shut down because the water quality became too poor. The city chose pollution over people—scaring Portlanders out of the river to this day.
What happened? Well, the Willamette River acted as the city’s sewer for years until the Big Pipe was put in place. The Big Pipe Project stands as one of Portland’s largest investments in the city’s history, with a staggering $1.4 billion price tag. At the completion of this 20-year project, Portland now sees only four to five sewage overflows into the river a year, reducing the number by 94 percent from its pre-pipe standard. This significant improvement paved the way for a safer, bluer, more inviting river; enter the HAP.
I met Levenson a year ago when he asked me to take a boat tour and learn more about the project and what they are trying to accomplish, particularly around the Ross Island Lagoon. The HAP movement leader grew up swimming. His connection with the water continued through college in Virginia where a river flowed right behind his campus. After college, Levenson moved to Boise, where the city river scene was flourishing. He fell in love with the recreational value of rivers and natural water. When he saw that Portland had a large river flowing through its core, he made another move. Sadly, upon his arrival in Portland, he learned the river wasn’t being used for recreation at all. So, in 2010, Levenson formed HAP to create new opportunities for engaging with this beautiful blue space.
In 2015, HAP was gearing up for its “Big Float,” a grand parade, float and beach party in downtown Portland when Levenson received word that there may have been a harmful algae bloom in the river. Thankfully, after testing, this proved not to be the case.
As a result, two years later, HAP began a partnership with an Oregon State University (OSU) professor who teaches a river engineering class. Here, they sat at the meeting point of recreation and stewardship, demonstrating how we can enjoy our natural resources while taking care of them.
It seems like every year I read an Oregon Health Authority press release that the Willamette is unsafe for swimming because of algae blooms. These algae blooms have been traced to the Ross Island Lagoon.
Back in 1926, the US Army Corps of Engineers built a levee to connect Ross Island to Hardtack Island, turning two islands into what we recognize as one now. This move created the Ross Island Lagoon, essentially a 140-acre pond inside the middle of the Willamette with zero water circulation and the likely culprit in creation of the algae blooms. To that end, HAP is working to prevent this from happening moving forward.
I am pleased to share that Multnomah County just approved a $150,000 budget amendment to support HAP and OSU in addressing algae blooms by creating a channel for the Ross Island Lagoon. The project would restore water flow and the health of the water during the summer, making it safer and more enjoyable for all of us who want to beat summer heat and take a dip and, hopefully, preventing algae blooms. Please know that while there is an occasional health advisory for the Willamette, most of the season it is perfectly safe to take a dip in our river, though we should always listen to those advisories.
Our relationship with the Willamette River is evolving thanks to dedicated efforts by HAP and community leaders like Levenson and others. I am excited by Portland’s emerging river culture and by the partnerships we’re seeing to create this movement. This isn’t just about swimming; it’s about reconnecting with a vital part of our city’s history and future that is good for our economy, too.
This summer, let’s make the most of our Willamette River. Enjoy a concert or a boat ride or, yes, go swimming. But also help support initiatives that will keep the river clean and accessible moving forward. You can join HAP and enjoy a lovely summer swim party 5-9 pm at Duckworth Dock on Wednesdays. What’s not to love about a live DJ, music and a sunset swim? It’s events like these that remind me of the vibrant, community-centered spirit so central to Portland life.
Meanwhile, I am pretty sure Levenson is determined to get me to give swimming in the river a try. Stay tuned.
Wondering if you’ve made connection with Bob Sallinger, Willamette Riverkeepers. He is a dynamo, and although he’s focusing on the whole river, he surely is an important contact for Ross Island mess, as I’m sure he’s also helping there and knows a lot. He is one of my heroes.
I liked the writeup by your summer intern.
— Jill