Up for a vote later this month, the city of Portland, Oregon is upgrading their greenway codes, which will enact new construction rules for businesses along the Willamette River. The Willamette River, which runs northward through the city, provides not only a beautiful cityscape, but also close ocean access for numerous industries located north of the city.

What is known as “The River Plan,” is the city’s attempt to restore the devastated North Willamette River from years of neglect and heavy industrial use. “We are trying to green up areas that the city had previously assumed were inevitably devastated because of heavy industrial activity,” says Travis Williams, Executive Director of the Willamette Riverkeeper. “This kind of restoration funding is new for the city.”

The Willamette Riverkeeper - a non-profit devoted to restoring a healthy habitat and water quality throughout the Willamette Basin - has been advocating city decision-makers and businesses to pass the often-contentious River Plan.

The proposed plan would require businesses to pay a 1% project fee from the total cost of the project for any new development along the Willamette River. The money collected would go toward habitat restoration along the river, such as restoring riparian zones to help with pollution runoff and maintain healthy water temperatures for the river.

Many industries along the Willamette River are upset in response to the proposed plan because it would require an additional financial burden for them. “There is lots of pushback from the industries because of the economy,” says Williams. Jobs are being lost and industries, already strapped for cash, are not openly accepting the 1% restoration fee for new development.

Despite lack of support from many businesses, the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability  supports the plan, which will likely be approved later this month, says Williams. “It seems like a fairly reasonable request that businesses give something back to the river when for decades there was almost nothing done in terms of restoration,” says Williams. One of the main reasons for the success of the River Plan is the strong collaborative effort from Portland Mayor, Sam Adams. “The mayor has been instrumental in pulling people together to try and work through some of these issues,” says Williams.

One of Mayor Adams’s stakeholders that he brought to the table was the Willamette Riverkeeper, which had been actively studying and advocating for the health of the Willamette River basin since 1996. The Willamette Riverkeeper acted in support of The River Plan from the beginning, against the loud opposition of the industries along the river. “I was at the meetings to provide accurate information and pictures about the river, and what it could look like in the future if the plan was passes,” says Williams. Williams, who grew up nearby, has personal memories of a time when the river was cleaner and often had to remind people that the river was capable of being greener during city meetings. According to Williams, many people in power to make important decisions about the Willamette River did not have an intimate knowledge of it, which he was able to provide.

Thanks to efforts from Williams’ and others at the Willamette Riverkeeper, the Willamette River will hopefully begin to recover from years of industrial activity and neglect. “The restoration process will be slow, but over time the river can be greener and still have successful manufacturing and shipping operations,” says Williams. “The two are not diametrically opposed to one another.”