Crescent City, Noyo are not just any ports in a storm
By Joe Barison
District Public Affairs Office
SAN FRANCISCO, May 4, 2010 - If you are the captain of a vessel at sea when an unexpected storm hits, you can try to ride out hurricane-velocity winds and 30-foot waves, or you can head for a safe port. If you are sailing off of the Northern California coast between Bodega Bay and the Oregon border, your port in the storm is likely to be Crescent City or Noyo Harbor.
“If along this coast, you don’t have a place to duck into in bad weather, you’re in a lot of trouble,” said Steve Chesser, dredging manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ San Francisco District. As far as Crescent City and Noyo Harbors serving as harbors of refuge, the key is proper dredging. “Without dredging, it becomes increasingly dangerous to enter or to leave. With inadequate dredging, boats have to pay more attention to tides, entering or leaving a harbor only during high tide.” But storms at sea do not stop because harbor tides are not high enough for safe vessel passage. Only regular dredging keeps harbors accessible whenever needed.
The good news for boaters at sea is that in 2009 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ San Francisco District dredged Crescent City Harbor most of the way toward its prescribed 15-foot depth, with the remaining dredging scheduled for 2010. Also in 2009, the district completed Noyo Harbor’s dredging to its targeted 10-foot depth. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (“stimulus package”) money was allocated to the Crescent City Harbor dredging project.
Harbor access is also important to rescue operations. “Both harbors support U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Stations,” said Larry Graham, Corps project manager.
The good news for the Crescent City and Noyo communities are the long-term economic benefits, as dredging allows for a commercial fishing industry.
“These high-usage harbors are vital to the commercial fishing industry, waterborne coastal commerce, and the local and regional economics,” said Graham.
Richard Young, harbormaster of Crescent City Harbor, put his harbor’s high activity level in perspective. “We have the largest value of commercial fisheries – larger than Humboldt Bay, larger even than San Francisco Bay. We have the largest ex-vessel value of fish, as measured at the dock, in Northern California – from San Francisco to the Oregon border [“ex-vessel” value and seafood landings are terms for the dollar value of fish unloaded at the dock].”
The financial benefits extend beyond those who fish for a living. “The fishermen spend their money in the community. They live here; they go to the restaurants; they shop in the stores. They support industries that process the fish they bring in. The fishing money trickles up,” said Young. “The Corps is spending $4 million in 10 years [of Crescent City Harbor dredging], so for an average of $400,000 a year, we’re generating $12 million a year in seafood landings. This money translates into jobs, income and taxes.”
The story is similar in Noyo. “Dredging Noyo River and Harbor is important because of commerce. Keeping the harbor dredged lets the vessels come and go. We’re a fishing community, and some of the fishing boats are fairly deep-draft for a small port,” said Jere Kleinbach, manager of Noyo Harbor.
But dredging is not without its challenges. When tons of harbor-bottom material is lifted, it must be placed somewhere. But where? Placement or disposal sites must be officially approved and in accordance with an array of federal and state laws. For Crescent City Harbor, “the nearest ocean-disposal site is in Oregon, off of Brookings. We’re coordinating with State of Oregon agencies, EPA and the Corps’ Portland District – to take Crescent City dredged material to Oregon and place it in their ocean site,” said Chesser.
The Crescent City Harbor harbormaster agrees. “Placement of dredged material is a challenge. It’s very expensive to dispose of onshore. Some is suitable for beach nourishment, but for the material that’s not, it presents an ongoing challenge,” said Young.
For Noyo, Chesser said, “Because of topography, there’s really not anyplace to put material upland once you’ve dredged it. We’re studying alternatives for placement sites in order to continue dredging Noyo.”
Noyo Harbor’s Kleinbach recognizes the Corps’ efforts to help. “Craig Conner (a San Francisco District study manager) just was up here and did a presentation showing how dredged material can be used for beach nourishment. So that’s what we’re looking at,” said Kleinbach.
According to Conner, the solution will likely involve placing dredged material near shore for beneficial beach nourishment. “The Corps is promoting something environmentally sustainable, ideally a permanent home for the beneficial reuse of dredged material,” said Conner.
The district looks forward to working with both harbors in future dredging and in solving the material-placement challenge. The feeling is mutual. As Crescent City Harbor’s Young said, “The Corps has been very helpful, very informative.”
At Noyo Harbor, Kleinbach recounts having excellent rapport with district project managers Craig Conner and Larry Graham. In addition, Kleinbach said, “I’d like people to know that this last year, 2009, we had a critical situation because a vessel went aground. The Corps quickly found critical-need funds and was able to dredge the river. We very much appreciated that response.”
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| This year, the Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District will dredge Crescent City Harbor to its prescribed 15-foot depth. (Photo by J.D. Hardesty, Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District) |