Even dredging, the most effective tool we have for cleaning the Willamette is far from flawless. BJ Cummings brought up the role that policies initially required to have the contractor with the lowest bid do the dredging, with abysmal results. Boeing on the other hand, she said did an exemplary job of cleaning up their portion of the river. This was in part as a result of the company not being beholden to the same regulations. The technologies available are not perfect, but they can be quite effective.Though of course the technologies come at a price and the regulations in place must allow them to be used. Thinking on a larger scale, it is difficult to see the point in debating the effectiveness of cleanup techniques. As Melanie described in her presentation, the EPA and other entities are doing very little in the way of preventing both old and new chemicals from entering waterways. Without policy and regulations focused on stemming the flow of hazardous material into the river, the overall effectiveness of the cleanup will be limited, regardless of the combination of technology used. There are many contaminants present in the Willamette River and the effects of these contaminants on fish and vary. According to Forest et al. the reproductive system is primarily affected adding more stress on species that are already struggling to survive, such as salmon. Preserving the diversity of species in the Willamette and its tributaries is a worthy goal by itself, but reducing the contaminants present in fish matters because humans eat the fish. To ensure the cleanliness of the river for both fish and people it will be necessary to utilize the best technologies at the appropriate time and place while also having the public policy and regulations in place to make this possible. Kirk Forest, E., Curtis, L.R., & Gundersen, D.(2014). Toxic contaminants in the urban aquatic environment. In J.A. Yeakly et al. (Eds.), Wild salmonids in the urbanizing Pacific Northwest (123-139).New York, NY: Springer Science+Business Media.
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