PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Two environmental groups are threatening to file suit against Zenith Energy over construction work at its oil terminal in Portland.

On Monday, Willamette Riverkeeper and Columbia Riverkeeper filed a notice of intent to sue the company if it doesn’t get a stormwater permit within 60 days, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

The Zenith Energy oil terminal in Northwest Portland receives crude oil from trains, stores it in tanks and sends it via pipes to outgoing ships. The company recently proposed upgrading its facility to handle biofuel, but it hasn’t gotten all the required permits to start the work.

Travis Williams, executive director of Willamette Riverkeeper, said the two Riverkeeper groups have documented land-clearing and grading at the proposed construction site that is not allowed under the Clean Water Act without a construction stormwater permit.

The company applied for a construction stormwater permit from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in June. The permit requires an additional approval from the City of Portland in the form of a land use compatibility statement, and the city hasn’t yet granted that approval.

The groups are concerned that the company is planning to expand its fossil fuel operations, though the Zenith maintains its upgrades are all focused on transporting biofuel.

Zenith declined to comment.

The post Environmental groups threaten to sue over oil terminal construction work appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An environmental group in Oregon has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for not providing information about the structural integrity of Willamette River dams south of Portland.

The lawsuit, filed by Willamette Riverkeeper, stems from the Corps releasing a plan in January calling for restrictions on water levels behind Hills Creek and Lookout Point dams near Oakridge, Springfield and Eugene, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

The plan said higher water levels could increase the risk of dam failure and refers to reports on the dams.

Willamette Riverkeeper filed a public records request in March for the reports and other safety and risk assessments, but the group has yet to receive the requested information or a timeline on when it would be delivered.

“I think it begged the question for us at the very least to say, ‘What does the Corps know about the structural integrity of these 13 large dams in the Willamette River system?'” Willamette Riverkeeper Executive Director Travis Williams said. “There’s a lot that we should be able to know about all those dams, most of which have significant reservoirs behind them.”

Williams argued that if the dams need repairs, the work could open the door to adding fish passage for salmon and other environmental and conservation efforts.

The group also sued the Corps over what it calls a failure to protect threatened and endangered species of salmon and steelhead in its management of the dams. The dams were built for flood control, irrigation and hydropower, and none have fish ladders to help the fish maneuver around them.

“There could be opportunities if we’re looking 10, 15 years down the road to both improve the condition of a project if it has issues and make it have less of an impact on our river system,” Williams said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.

The post Lawsuit seeks reports on Oregon dams’ structural integrity appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

A nonprofit group is partnering with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry to build a new structure to serve recreational human-powered boating on the Willamette River.

Portland Boathouse Inc. is proposing to erect a two-story, 29,000-square-foot boathouse on the north end of OMSI‘s campus. The facility, to be called the Portland River Center, would house rowing canoes, kayaks and other watercraft, classroom and instructional space for OMSI and office space for environmental group Willamette Riverkeeper.

Portland Boathouse’s lease of space in the RiverEast Center, at 1515 Water Ave., is due to end in August 2019. The looming timeline led boating enthusiasts to plan for a new facility.

The Portland River Center is included as part of OMSI’s master plan that has yet to be unveiled, River Center proponents said.

OMSI’s master plan, crafted by architecture firm Snohetta, is awaiting internal approvals, OMSI spokesman John Farmer said. The master plan sets forth a plan to redevelop vacant areas around OMSI that are owned by the museum.

There’s no formal agreement in place between OMSI and the Portland River Center, but OMSI has set space aside for river-related use, Farmer said.

“We’re super excited about it,” he said.

The proposed Portland River Center site is within a designated greenway, but River Center supporters believe their river-related use would allow construction there. The supporters plan to meet with Bureau of Development Services staff to gauge the feasibility of building near the river.

“It’s designed to sit into the existing landscape there,” said Patrick Quinton, a former economic development official who is volunteering in support of the Portland River Center. “It’s a relatively long, narrow facility, and it tries to hug the river as much as possible.”

Proponents are beginning to raise money for the project. Bernie Thurber, president of Portland Boathouse’s board, said the project would cost an estimated $10 million to $12 million.

Supporters plan to open the facility in 2020.

“We believe there’s a lot of support in the community for this kind of project,” Quinton said. “If we can demonstrate that private support, I think there’s an opportunity for public support as well.”

The Portland River Center would serve as the home of Rose City Rowing Club, Station L Rowing Club, Wasabi Paddling Club and Portland State University club rowing teams. On a busy summer day, the existing Portland Boathouse facility serves about 1,000 river users, Thurber said.

An unresolved question is whether the proposed River Center would use an existing dock or a new one.

“We’re open to a variety of possibilities,” Quinton said. “Obviously, the River Center needs a dock. If a new dock is going to be built, we would prefer it be as close to this facility as possible.”

The river groups would step up to fund and build a new dock if necessary, Quinton said.

Broadly, the Portland River Center fits with an increased emphasis by city leaders on opening the river for more recreational use. Mayor Ted Wheeler has hosted much-publicized swims across the Willamette, and plans for future development at the South Waterfront call for a dock that would allow recreational access to the river.

Increased recreational use comes as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prepares to clean up a stretch of the river designated as a Superfund site.

“This is a project that takes advantage of that renewed interest in the river,” Quinton said. “I think Portland is kind of on the verge of a renaissance in terms of how people interact responsibly with the river.”

The post Multimillion-dollar boathouse proposed near OMSI appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.