'Ticking time bomb': Portland residents raise concerns over aging fuel tanks

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Over 80 Portland neighborhoods are demanding action from government leaders to avoid a toxic disaster on the banks of the Willamette River. 

Northwest Portland is populated by over 600 aging gasoline and jet fuel storage tanks and residents want something done about them. People are worried the tanks may move or rupture during an earthquake or other disaster. 

The fuel storage tanks, which can each hold up to 350 gallons or more, were built on loose soil along the river that could become liquefied, with many of the tanks themselves vulnerable to possibly rupturing.

The six-mile stretch of tank farms is known as the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub (or CEI Hub). A 2020 study commissioned by the City of Portland and Multnomah County found that a Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake could indeed spell environmental disaster for this area.

Representatives from dozens of neighborhoods gathered at the Augustana Lutheran Church in Northeast Portland to talk about their concerns. They sent a letter to government leaders saying they have to work on a plan for the CEI Hub.

“Floods occur with increasing frequency and the hub is in a flood plain on liquefiable soil,” said Nancy Hiser of the Linnton Neighborhood Association. “Accidents have been alluded to, like the Ohio train derailment, happen. Human error is always a possibility. The list goes on. It’s a ticking time bomb.”

According to the joint study, there’s an estimated 26% likelihood of a major earthquake in the next 50 years. With more than 90% of Oregon’s liquid fuel located at the CEI Hub facilities, residents want leaders to look into risk mitigation of the tanks or possibly moving them.

A relatively new state law also requires tank owners to send the state earthquake assessments saying how they plan to protect from them later this year. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has also asked tank owners how they would protect people.