Page 6. MAINE COASTAL NEWS July 2016 P S F U The meeting was called to order at
10:00 by the Port Safety Forum Co-Chair Brian Downey representing the Maine Port Authority with Commander Andrew Myers as the Co-Chair representing the Coast Guard. A quorum was comprised of 27 individuals.
Ocean Planning – John Weber, NROC Mr. Weber briefed the Port Safety
Forum regarding the May 25 release of the Draft Northeast Regional Ocean Plan. The Plan is available for public comment until July 25 at 5:00 PM. The draft plan is de- signed to help better coordinate competing waterway uses with an eco-based approach. As discussed by NROC “There is much to learn about the ocean ecosystem, its natural resources, and existing uses that depend on those resources such as fi shing, shipping, and recreation. Better scientifi c information and a better understanding of current and potential human uses of the ocean will en- able New England to achieve its economic goals and ensure healthy oceans.” Once fi nalized, agencies and stakeholders will be able to use the plan when considering water- way projects and uses and will help agencies with best understanding compatibility needs and risks when making permitting and usage decisions.
There will also be upcoming opportuni-
ties for public discussion of the draft, includ- ing public meetings in each New England state during the month of June. Meetings in Maine and New Hampshire are listed below. The Regional Planning Body has already held public meetings in Rockland on June 6 and Ellsworth on June 20. Monday, June 27 – New Hampshire Location: NH DES Offi ce, 222 Interna- tional Drive, Suite 175, Portsmouth, NH Time: 6PM to 8:30PM
Thursday, June 30 – Maine Location: Glickman Library, Universi-
ty of Southern Maine, 314 Forest Avenue, Portland, ME Time: 5:30PM to 8PM Ocean Planning Committee – Brian Downey, Port Safety Forum
Mr. Downey supplemented Mr. We-
ber’s presentation by outlining the formation and role of the Port Safety Forum’s Ocean Planning Committee which was established at the December 2015 Port Safety Forum meeting. The Committee will examine the Draft Ocean Plan on behalf of the Port Safety Forum. As such, the electronic link to the Draft Plan was distributed to the en- tire Port Safety Forum via e-mail as well as Maine pilotage groups. In case you did not
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receive the link, the plan may be accessed via
http://neoceanplanning.org/plan/. Parties may independently review the draft plan and electronically submit their own comments no later than 5:00 PM on July 25 using the link above. Alternatively, parties may submit their comments to the Port Safety Forum Ocean Planning Committee for inclusion in the Forum’s consolidated comment document. Ocean Planning Com- mittee comments should be sent no later than July 10 to
brian.downey@
marinecs.com. Port Activities Update:
Casco Bay Bridge Update Don McKenna, MaineDOT
Mr. McKenna briefed the Forum
regarding the contracting of MaineDOT draw-bridge operations on the Casco Bay Bridge. As of March 6 the Casco Bay Bridge has been/will be operated by Florida Drawbridge Incorporated (FDI) based in Pompano, Florida. MaineDOT remains the responsible agency for the bridge. There is no change in service of the bridge as a re- sult of the transfer of operation. Only light maintenance such as greasing and oiling will be performed by FDI. All signifi cant maintenance will remain with MaineDOT. Further, the bridge recently underwent a comprehensive inspection which examined the bridge’s structure, as well as mechanical and electrical systems which indicated that the bridge was in very good condition. The bridge is opened approximately 50 times per month.
NERACOOS Update Tom Shyka, NERACOOS Tom Shyka provided an update on the
NERACOOS ocean data buoy system. In addition to hourly buoy data, other data products include forecasting of water levels, coastal fl ooding and erosion forecasts, and ocean forecasts. Mr. Shyka presented rou- tine updates on various buoys among which include a new Algal Bloom detection buoy in Wells and a new water level sensor in Saco Harbor which will help document tidal surge in storms and hurricanes. NERACOOS will be hosting a “Buoy Cruise” to Buoy I off of Mount Dessert
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Island. The event will host Congressional staff s, agencies, pilots, and other waterway users to raise awareness of the critical sci- entifi c value and daily utility of the NER- ACOOS buoy system and mission. The trip will depart from Bar Harbor on August 14. More details will be made available once the logistics are fi nalized. He also discussed specifi c water tem-
perature data collected from NERACOOS buoys that indicated warming trends in various levels of the water column along the Maine coast. Understanding and utilizing this data can help fi shermen better forecast fi shing scenarios and help the market predict and prepare for catch volumes and quality. In particular, he provided sample data col- lected since January from Mount Dessert Island, which suggested surface water temperatures tracking higher but generally along a normal average (based on a 15-year average). However, water temperatures col- lected at 20 meters below the surface were consistently and uncharacteristically much higher than average.
Army Corps of Engineers Ed O’Donnell, ACOE
Mr. O’Donnell updated the Forum
regarding various dredging projects within Maine and New Hampshire namely: Royal River: Completed in Fall of 2015. Beal’s Island: Bidding process received
excessive bids but ultimately awarded to Cashman and will start in November. Sagamore Creek: Approximately 7,000
cubic yards of confl uence area will be dredged in the Fall of 2016. Hampton Harbor: Jetty repair of dam-
age caused by Hurricane Sandy. Contract awarded to Mohawk Northeast. Project will start in the Fall of 2016 following Piping Plover seasonal restrictions. Saco River: Sand and silt dredging did
not receive FY 2016 funding and remains in the funding queue. Biddeford Pool: Similar to Saco River,
did not receive FY 2016 funding and remains in the funding queue.
Continued on Page 27.
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