Portland's Houseless Thread

[maccoinnich]

Is Terminal 1 safe for homeless shelter? Depends, says DEQ



Oregon environmental regulators have offered words of warning to Portland's plan to convert a warehouse into a temporary homeless shelter.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality now says the city's property is safe -- so long as a layer of asphalt serves as a protective cap between people and contaminated dirt.

But if development plans disturb that cap? Different story.

"However, direct exposure to soil presents a higher risk than we previously determined," Nina DeConcini, DEQ's northwest administrator, wrote to members of the City Council on Thursday morning. "DEQ recommends additional review of the data should any redevelopment of the property occur to ensure that changes to existing site conditions remain protective."

...continues at the Oregonian.