Warning: "Avoid Columbia Slough Fish"

   Although some people knew about the Slough's toxicity, in the 1980s no community fishing prevention measures existed. In 1991, Northwest Environmental Advocates filed suit against the city of Portland to stop combined sewer overflows into the Columbia Slough. At the same time, the organization charged Oregon institutions with environmental injustice, drawing attention to Slough pollution through Riverwatch trips, news coverage, and the above Toxic Waters Map.

Above, the Toxic Waters map highlights major and minor industrial discharges, and other toxic sites as identified by Northwest Environmental Advocates. Click here to view larger version of the map, with a key. Courtesy of Northwest Environmental Advocates

   North Portland neighborhoods have the highest minority populations in the city. People from many different groups -- Russian, Vietnamese, Laotian, Hmong, Hispanic, African American, and others -- live on or near the Portland peninsula. Studies in 1996 showed that 15.5% of those fishing on the Columbia Slough were African American, 20% Caucasians of eastern European descent, 55% other Caucasians, 4% Asian, and 4.5% Hispanic. While the minority population fishes for subsistence, most non-European Caucasions fish recreationally, usually throwing carp back into the slough. However, Russians for example, prize carp, eating the skin, fat, innards, and heads of the bottom feeding fish. Years of raw sewage and industrial pollutants including lead, mercury, chlordane, and PCBs have made the Columbia Slough one of the most contaminated waterways in the state of Oregon, and eating fish from this waterway is dangerous.