Community Watershed and Neighborhood clean ups - Lents

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We are partnering with Portland Bureau of Environmental Services and Metro Regional Refresh funds to ensure that no waste or bulky items end up in sensitive areas along the Johnson Creek where it meets our neighborhood. 

We will host a Dumpster Day at 4244 SE 91st Ave on October 27th from 10am-1:30pm where neighbors can pull right up and unload bulky items that may be too expensive to take to the transfer center. 

Some items we can not take: 

- Household or car batteries

- Vehicle Parts

- Tires

- Drums, chemicals or liquids

- Appliances

- Electronics (Example: Microwave)

- Hazardous Waste

- Asbestos

We will continue to do outreach along the creek to clear debris and check on neighbors during rising waters. We will also support a total of 3 large dumpster days this fiscal year! 

We hope that neighbors will join us by alerting us if they see debris along the waterway in the Lents district. 

We love making new friends! Email us to join us on these projects or if you have ideas about projects we can collaborate on around this community focus! 

Over the past few years, we have partnered with the Watershed Stewardship Program to enhance public awareness and provide practical solutions to potential environmental challenges affecting our unhoused neighbors that live in the Lents neighborhood along Johnson Creek. We have worked to improve safety by notifying people of rising creek water, distributed trash bags to reduce waste in and around Johnson Creek, and educated community members on the importance of maintaining a clean waterway. Through this grant application, we seek funding to continue this work, deepen community engagement and implement targeted interventions to help protect our watershed. Our goals are to provide regular safety updates to those living near the creek, ensuring community members understand potential risks and how to stay safe, reduce trash and waste entering the creek and educate and engage the community on watershed stewardship. We have also partnered with the Regional Refresh Program for cleanup projects along the Johnson Creek area, removing trash and debris from the creek and arranging trash pickups for those living near the creek. With your support, we will carry on with our impactful work in the Lents neighborhood, empowering residents to take an active role in protecting Johnson Creek while fostering a culture of environmental stewardship.

This project will help protect public health by providing regular safety updates and flood risk information to residents, especially those living near the creek. Distributing trash bags and organizing cleanup efforts helps prevent waste from entering Johnson Creek.Disposing waste into and around the creek can lead to pollution and contribute to the spread of diseases. By keeping the area cleaner, we minimize these risks, particularly for those who live unsheltered and are directly exposed to these hazards. Reducing waste in Johnson Creek is essential for preserving the natural ecosystem. Trash, chemicals, and debris in and near the water can harm aquatic life and disrupt the delicate balance of the watershed. By reducing pollution entering the creek area, we are taking significant steps toward preserving its health and biodiversity. By educating residents about the importance of maintaining a clean watershed, we are fostering a culture of environmental stewardship. Empowering local residents to take an active role in protecting their environment strengthens the collective ability to preserve the health of Portland’s watersheds.

Email Kristle Delihanty at kristle@pdxsaintslove.com