Cowlitz County Deserves Better

Last updated
Cowlitz County Deserves Better
FormationMarch 2009
TypeAd hoc
PurposeTo protect fishing, good jobs, and clean air and drinking water in Cowlitz County
HeadquartersLongview, Washington, USA
Coordinates 46°08′34″N122°57′20″W / 46.142733°N 122.955636°W / 46.142733; -122.955636 Coordinates: 46°08′34″N122°57′20″W / 46.142733°N 122.955636°W / 46.142733; -122.955636 [1]
Region served
Cowlitz County, Washington
Membership
fishermen, seniors, workers, tribal members, environmentalists, business leaders
Volunteers
110
Website CowlitzCountyDeservesBetter.com

Cowlitz County Deserves Better is an ad hoc group of more than 100 fishermen, seniors, workers, tribal members and other citizens who live on the lower Columbia River in Washington and Oregon, USA. The group is headquartered in Longview, Washington, and has published goals of promoting "good jobs, a clean river, and air and water free of dangerous toxins" [2] in the region.

In April 2009, members of Cowlitz County Deserves Better launched a broad, 6-month investigation into the operational and environmental practices of Chinook Ventures, a private company operating on several hundred riverfront acres owned by Pennsylvania-based aluminum multinational corporation Alcoa, Inc. The investigation was prompted by community concerns over the Washington State Department of Ecology’s issuance of $150,000 USD in fines against Chinook Ventures in March 2009 for "operating without necessary permits and failing to protect air quality and prevent polluted runoff from reaching the Columbia River." [3] The company unsuccessfully appealed the fine. [4]

Cowlitz County Deserves Better's investigation included interviews with current and former employees of Chinook Ventures, hundreds of public documents, and site visits from land and water. They compiled their findings, which included a list of more than a dozen suspected environmental and labor violations, and began a public education campaign [5] in November 2009.

One of the group's primary concerns is that the City of Longview is drilling for drinking water near the site. In January 2010, the Longview Daily News reported:

Cowlitz County Deserves Better, a grass-roots group that advocates for clean water for fishing and drinking, passed out fliers in the Longview City Council chambers Thursday saying the city should postpone a decision on the water supply until the state is finished investigating and addressing alleged environmental violations at Chinook Ventures. ... That company's site on Industrial Way, across the street from the Mint Farm, was contaminated by decades of Reynolds Metals Co.'s aluminum production, and hazardous materials have been found in the ground and groundwater. [6]

In February 2010, state investigators suspected Chinook Ventures as the source of a mile-long plume of a black substance, reported to be "two to five dump truck loads of petroleum coke". [7] that was floating down the Columbia River. A Cowlitz County Deserves Better spokesperson told the Oregonian newspaper that "We're afraid that this spill of petcoke is just the beginning of more to come." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowlitz County, Washington</span> County in Washington, United States

Cowlitz County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 110,730. The county seat is Kelso, and its largest city is Longview. The county was formed in April 1854. Its name derives from the anglicized version of the Cowlitz Indian term Cow-e-liske, meaning either 'river of shifting sands' or 'capturing the medicine spirit.' Cowlitz comprises the Longview, WA Metropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA Combined statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Rock, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Castle Rock is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington. Located between the Willapa Hills and the western base of Mount St. Helens, Castle Rock is at the heart of Washington timber country in the Pacific temperate rain forest. Castle Rock is part of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area; the population was 2,446 as of the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelso, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Kelso is a city in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Washington and is the county seat of Cowlitz County. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,720. Kelso is part of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 110,730. Kelso shares its long western border with Longview. It is near Mount St. Helens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longview, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 37,818 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the largest city in Cowlitz County. The city is located in southwestern Washington, at the junction of the Cowlitz and Columbia rivers. Longview shares a border with Kelso to the east, which is the county seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yakama</span> Ethnic group

The Yakama are a Native American tribe with nearly 10,851 members, based primarily in eastern Washington state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowlitz River</span> River in Washington, United States

The Cowlitz River is a river in the state of Washington in the United States, a tributary of the Columbia River. Its tributaries drain a large region including the slopes of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis and Clark Bridge (Columbia River)</span> Historic bridge in Washington state and Oregon, USA

The Lewis and Clark Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Columbia River between Longview, Washington, and Rainier, Oregon. At the time of its completion, it had the longest cantilever span in the United States.

Puget Sound salmon recovery is a collective effort of federal, state and local authorities and non-profit coalitions of universities, scientists, business and industry aimed at restoring Pacific salmon and anadromous forms of Pacific trout (Oncorhynchus) within the Puget Sound region. The Puget Sound lies within the native range of the Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus) and two sea-run forms of Pacific trout, the coastal rainbow trout or steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout. Populations of Oncorhynchus have seen significant declines since the middle of the 19th century due to over fishing, habitat loss, pollution and disease. Salmon species residing in or migrating through the Puget Sound to spawning streams include Chum, Coho, Chinook, Sockeye, and Pink salmon. Pacific salmon require freshwater rivers for spawning and most major tributaries of the Puget Sound have salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout spawning runs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelso Multimodal Transportation Center</span>

The Kelso Multimodal Transportation Center is an Amtrak train station located near downtown Kelso, Washington, United States. The station also serves the neighboring city of Longview, which is located just across the Cowlitz River. The station is served by Cascades and Coast Starlight trains. Greyhound Lines provides national and regional bus service, while RiverCities Transit provides local transit. Shuttle vans, taxis and rental cars can also be hired at the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 4</span> State highway in Washington

State Route 4 (SR 4) is a 62.27-mile-long (100.21 km) state highway, serving the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Washington. The highway, also known as Ocean Beach Highway, travels east along the Columbia River from U.S. Route 101 (US 101) at Johnston's Landing through Pacific, Wahkiakum and Cowlitz counties to an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) in Kelso. SR 4 is designated as part of the Lewis and Clark Trail Scenic Byway, a state scenic byway, as well as part of the National Highway System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 432</span> Highway in Washington

State Route 432 (SR 432) is a 10.32-mile-long (16.61 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Washington, serving the cities of Longview and Kelso in Cowlitz County. The highway travels east along the Columbia River from an intersection with SR 4 in West Longview through the Port of Longview and the termini of SR 433 and SR 411 in Longview. SR 432 crosses the Cowlitz River on a divided highway and ends at an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) in Kelso. SR 432 was established during the 1964 highway renumbering as SR 832, replacing a branch of Primary State Highway 12 (PSH 12) that had been routed through Longview and Kelso since 1937. SR 432 was established in 1968 and originally routed on Nichols Boulevard within Longview and was re-aligned onto its current route in 1991 after the opening of Industrial Way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 433</span> State highway in Washington

State Route 433 is a 0.94-mile (1.51 km) long state highway located entirely in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. The highway begins midway across the Columbia River on the National Register of Historic Places listed Lewis and Clark Bridge and travels north to SR 432 in Longview. Prior to the 1964 state highway renumbering the highway was part of Primary State Highway 12. Between 1964 and 1972, the highway's designation was changed from State Route 833 to the current SR 433.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 411</span>

State Route 411 (SR 411) is a 13.48-mile (21.69 km) state highway located in Cowlitz County in the U.S. state of Washington, serving Longview, Kelso, West Side Highway and Castle Rock. The roadway, which parallels the Cowlitz River and Interstate 5 (I-5), begins at an interchange with SR 432 in Longview and travels north past a spur route, under SR 4 and across the Cowlitz River to become concurrent with I-5 Business and end at an interchange with I-5, I-5 Business and SR 504 in Castle Rock. The road first appeared on a map in 1951 and originally signed as Secondary State Highway 12H (SSH 12H) in 1957, SR 411 was established in 1964 and ran from Kelso to Vader. In 1991, the highway was extended south to SR 432 in Longview, the former route becoming SR 411 Spur, and was shortened to I-5 / I-5 Business / SR 504 in Castle Rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Coffin</span> Mountain in Washington (state), United States

Mount Coffin was a promontory in what is now Longview, Cowlitz County, Washington, U.S. It served as native burial grounds for the Skillute, a Chinook Jargon speaking tribe who practiced above-ground interment of their deceased. The memaloose illahee, or cemetery was named by Lieutenant William Robert Broughton of George Vancouver's expedition aboard HMS Chatham in 1792. The landmark was leveled for its gravel during construction of the Port of Longview.

Longview is an unincorporated historic community in Benton County, Washington, United States, located approximately three miles west of Umatilla, Oregon on the north bank of the Columbia River, just above Devil's Bend Rapids.

RiverCities Transit is a public transit system serving the cities of Longview and Kelso in Cowlitz County, Washington.

<i>Northwest</i> (sternwheeler)

Northwest was a steamboat that operated on the Columbia, Cowlitz and lower Willamette rivers from 1889 to 1907. In 1907 Northwest was transferred to Alaska, where it sank on the Skeena River

<i>Joseph Kellogg</i> (sternwheeler)

Joseph Kellogg was a stern-wheel driven steamboat that operated on the Willamette, Columbia, and Cowlitz rivers for the Kellogg Transportation Company. It was named after the company's founder, Joseph Kellogg (1812-1903). The sternwheeler Joseph Kellogg was built in 1881 at Portland, Oregon.

Woodland Public Schools (WPS) or Woodland School District #404 (WSD) is a school district headquartered in Woodland, Washington.

References

  1. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  2. ↑ "Home". cowlitzcountydeservesbetter.com.
  3. ↑ "Washington Fines Chinook Ventures for Air, Runoff Violations -- Environmental Protection". eponline.com.
  4. ↑ "HTTP 404 Error Message -- WA State Dept. of Ecology". wa.gov. Archived from the original on 2009-12-13. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  5. ↑ "Outdoor Briefs: Fish enhancement group director to speak at Monticello Hotel," Longview Daily News, November 6, 2009 (http://tdn.com/articles/2009/11/06/this_day/doc4af3667cbeaa9727674702.txt)
  6. ↑ Amy M.E. Fischer / The Daily News. "Longview approves Mint Farm water plant". Longview Daily News.
  7. ↑ Greg Garrison / The Daily News. "Authorities continue investigation into Columbia River petcoke spill". Longview Daily News.
  8. ↑ "Environmental group says mile-long spill into Columbia River is a sign that better regulation is needed". OregonLive.com. 6 February 2010.
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