Citizens for a Clean Columbia (CCC) is a grassroots, volunteer organization focused on advocating for the health of the Upper Columbia River, Lake Roosevelt, and associated human and non-human communities. As local residents and concerned US citizens, we began in the early 1990’s to address aquatic milfoil, but members quickly realized that an organized effort was needed to bring attention to contamination from Canadian industry, in particular Teck. Our work since then has primarily focused on the UCR RI/FS but we are also co-investigators on the CCT air monitoring study and are a member organization of the Columbia Round Table that monitors and discusses the Columbia River Treaty negotiations

It took several years for us to become involved in EPA’s work on the RI/FS, which began in 2006. In 2009, CCC was awarded a Technical Assistance Grant that allowed us to hire a technical advisor, Dr. Joe Wichmann, who along with myself, Mindy Smith, an academic family physician with research training, began to review documents and reports and provide input to EPA from a community perspective. In 2010, CCC established this website to share UCR RI/FS and WA Dept of Ecology information and resources (e.g., fliers) and began producing newsletters to inform the public and other interested parties about the progress of the RI/FS and other local initiatives from DOE and CCT.

Our board consists of 8 members and approximately 80 members and friends signed up for our e-alerts and newsletters. Our board members also participate in other environmental organizations and will occasionally update the group on those activities.

CCC continues to work to preserve the beauty and safety of our precious river. We collaborate with other groups to hold polluters accountable for damages to the health of the river, to bring attention to health problems of people and wildlife, and to address continued toxic discharges of chemicals and heavy metals into the Columbia River and its tributaries.