Northport and Upper Columbia River gain hope with Superfund designation after decades of pollution | News [Video]

NORTHPORT, Wash. – The town of Northport is nestled on the banks of the Upper Columbia River, just a few miles south of the Canadian border. And for many of the people who live here, it’s been home for generations.

“My great grandparents and grandparents and parents and now my brother and I live here. And so, yeah, there’s a legacy here with our family,” said Northport resident Rose Kalamarides.  

The same is true for the people of the Colville Confederated Tribes.

“The tribes have lived on this river, they’ve conducted ceremonies on this river, they’ve fished the river. Basically, the river has been our lifeline,” explained Cindy Marchand, the secretary of the Colville Confederated Tribes Business Council Executive Committee.

But for decades, the people here have been suffering from abnormally high rates of a host of different health issues. According to community health surveys in Northport, 4% of residents …