January 12 2021
Willamette, Columbia Riverkeepers plan to sue Zenith Energy for violating the Clean Water Act in federal court.
Unpermitted construction at a crude oil shipping terminal on the banks of the Willamette River violated federal laws protecting several Oregon waterways from runoff pollution, two environmental groups claim.
The Riverkeeper groups for the Willamette and Columbia rivers announced their intentions to sue Zenith Energy Terminal Holdings, which operates the sprawling oil train unloading facility at 5501 N.W. Front Ave. in Portland, for impermissibly discharging pollutants since at least last April.
The pollution allegedly happens every time rain flows off the property into the river. In drizzly Rose City, that happened roughly 90 times every time more than 0.1 inches of precipitation fell in a 24-hour period the groups claim.