“Everything exciting and imaginative that’s happening in Portland right now seems to be touching the river.” 

That assessment comes from Willie Levenson, who may be biased, considering he’s spent the better part of two decades working to change Portland’s relationship with the Willamette River through his organization, Human Access Project. But his analysis rings true. After decades of seemingly ignoring the river except as a geographic marker, Portland residents and leaders are now embracing it. 

The current enthusiasm for the river wasn’t an inevitability. It reflects a cultural change that has taken place over the last few decades, and especially the last 15 years, largely due to the work of passionate Willamette River advocates like Levenson. 

“The work of Human Access Project is cultural change,” Levenson told the Mercury. Portland’s Willamette River is swimmable, thanks in large part to the city’s $1.4 billion Big Pipe project, which eliminated most sewer overflows into the river. Now, Levenson’s mission is to create opportunities for people to experience the river, hopefully setting the stage for future investment.

On a recent Tuesday evening, hundreds of Portlanders gathered at Audrey McCall Beach, located just south of the Hawthorne Bridge on the east bank of the Willamette River. People of all ages could be found swimming, paddleboarding, and sunbathing on the shore, while a DJ spun tunes nearby. They were there for Human Access Project’s weekly “splashdown” party at the beach, which kicked off in July and will continue every Tuesday evening through August. 

The Audrey McCall Beach carries special significance to Levenson and Human Access Project supporters. The organization has long been working to restore the area since 2011, when it was covered in concrete chunks, making the beach inaccessible. The Human Access Project led the charge to restore the area, a process that involved plenty of heavy lifting, both literal and figurative. (Levenson said the organization had to get permission from eight separate agencies to remove the concrete.) 

Now, with the concrete gone, the beach is a popular swimming area, and Levenson wanted to take advantage of the interest. With a $250,000 grant from Metro’s Nature in Neighborhoods Capital Grants program in hand, Human Access Project launched their series of activation events at the site in July. 

The Audrey McCall Beach splashdown isn’t the only weekly Willamette River party. On Wednesdays, river lovers can be found at the Duckworth Dock, about a mile north. (Duckworth Summer Wednesdays also began as a Human Access Project program, but the event is now hosted by the Lloyd Eco District.) Even further north, in St. Johns, Portlanders can access the Willamette through a new swimming dock at Cathedral Park, which debuted last summer. The Cathedral Park dock was also championed by Levenson, though Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) took some ownership, too. 

The cultural shift around the Willamette has made its way into City Hall, too, where councilors recently voted to adopt a resolution supporting the city joining a global alliance of “swimmable cities,” an initiative that aims to increase urban access to “safe and swimmable waterways.” Meanwhile, thanks to another $750,000 Metro planning grant, development on a “toes-in-the-water” riverfront park south of the Hawthorne Bridge (on the west bank of the Willamette) is in the works. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) District plan, which aims to create a new neighborhood surrounding the museum in Southeast Portland, also contains a major river element. 

Of course, for these projects to come to fruition, leaders will have to go beyond merely adopting resolutions—they’ll need to pony up major resources. Levenson’s perspective: Through the river, all things are possible. (And, perhaps more importantly, riverfront development is good for business.) 

“When we’re in a time of a [budget shortfall], and we’re looking to bring hope and future to Portland, I think it’s more important than ever to look for the high return on investment items,” Levenson said at a July 16 Portland City Council meeting. “We’ve been doing this for 15 years, and hopefully everyone has seen the miracles that we’ve been able to do, but ultimately, it’s the power of the river…it’s our liquid public space that brings out the best in people.” 

“Please, people, swim in the water.” 

Levenson says when he started his organization in 2010, “99 percent of Portland thought [swimming in the Willamette River] was totally nuts.” 

“Now, probably only 90 percent does,” Levenson said with a laugh at the City Council meeting. “But that is a massive change. We’re getting somewhere.” 

Levenson, whose reverence for the Willamette River has undoubtedly inspired the masses, might be being humble. Though river recreation naysayers are still out there (you can probably find some in the social media replies to this very article) it’s clear there’s been a significant paradigm shift in how Portlanders view the Willamette. 

City Council’s easy “yes” vote on the swimmable cities initiative last month made for a somewhat rare moment of unity among council members. Ahead of their supportive votes, many councilors spoke about how important the Willamette River is to the city of Portland and to them, personally. 

“Being able to have [river] access takes things to another level. It helps folks really feel a connection and own that part of nature as something they love and want to take care of,” Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane said. “There’s something about showing up [to the river] and seeing all these people just enjoying Portland and being so excited—it reminds me how much I love our city, and access to the river is a big part of that.” 

Councilor Dan Ryan shared how he swam in the Willamette back in the 1980s, well before the Big Pipe project was complete. Ryan said his mother didn’t approve of his aquatic activities. 

“But here I am, many years later,” Ryan said. “So please, people, swim in the water already.” 

Levenson’s advocacy for the Willamette River lands at the intersection of many issues, making it an appealing cause to champion for a range of people. There are the environmentalists who want to keep the river clean and habitable for fish and wildlife, and clean of toxic algae and potential oil spills from the Critical Energy Infrastructure hub in Northwest Portland. Portland’s urbanists like to support Willamette River recreation because of the river’s proximity to city bike paths and public transportation (no need to drive out to the Sandy River to swim!). The effort has also been attractive to business boosters in downtown Portland and the Central Eastside, who know increased foot traffic can lead to sales. 

Others have joined the movement, too. At the July 16 City Council meeting, Black Swimming Initiative co-founder Morgan Spriggs talked about the importance of river access for people of color in Portland. The Black Swimming Initiative focuses on the “epidemic of drowning within the Black community,” who have historically faced barriers to learning how to swim. 

“I think it’s exciting to be changing the relationship of a community that’s been removed from aquatic opportunities,” Spriggs told councilors. 

The widespread community support for the river is an important step in the latest efforts.. But the next phase in Portland’s embrace of the Willamette River will require significant financial resources. 

Levenson doesn’t seem terribly concerned. Again, he knows the power of the river. 

“I would say, at the end of the day, whether it gets fully funded is going to be driven by the strength of the idea and the extent that the public is excited about it,” Levenson told the Mercury. “And there’s lots of reasons to be excited about it.”