Last September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington State Department of Ecology, and Citizens for a Clean Columbia (CCC) hosted a community meeting in Northport. Approximately 20-30 individuals attended the meeting. Ecology provided an update on the cleanup and reopening of the Northport Waterfront next to the town park during the first portion of the meeting. This meeting followed a memorial and dedication to John Roland, a Washington Department of Ecology employee whose collaborative efforts spearheaded the actions that led to the cleanup of the riverfront and park area completed this summer (to read more, see page 6: “Northport Remembers”).
Following the memorial dedication, EPA provided an update on results of the 2025 soil sampling at 87 residential properties, including the concentrations of lead and arsenic detected in soil. EPA is reviewing results from 2025 and prior sampling events to identify properties eligible for potential cleanup in 2026. They are targeting to complete 50 properties in 2026 and 50 in 2027. EPA is performing the early cleanup actions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (also known as the Superfund law), prior to the final site cleanup remedy that will be documented in the Record of Decision.
EPA staff responded to community questions and concerns from residents who had their property sampled, including:
- How will they know if their property will be cleaned up?
- What to do in the meantime to minimize exposure to lead in soil?
- Will properties that were sampled prior to 2025 be eligible for cleanup?
- What are the changes to lead and arsenic screening levels over the years?
Questions related to soil sampling and cleanup have been compiled into a Soil Cleanup Q&A flyer. EPA has distributed the flyer via email and physical mailing addresses to property owners of previously sampled properties that may be eligible for cleanup.
EPA staff also presented an overview of the updated Community Involvement Plan (CIP) and Technical Assistance Needs Assessment (TANA), including background on the purpose of the documents, why the plan is being updated, what information is included in these documents, and the opportunity for the public to review the plan. Following EPA’s presentations, the Colville Tribes provided a project update on their Purple Air Sensors Final Data Report results, and the Upper Columbia United Tribes provided an update on their Upper Columbia River Toxics Reduction project.
Other entities in attendance included the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Washington State Department of Health’s Office of Environmental Public Health Sciences, Northeast Tri County Health District, Teck American Incorporated, and the Lake Roosevelt Forum.
