June 2018 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 5. P S F M N
Minutes: Forum #113 25 April 2018
University of Maine Hutchinson Center, Belfast
Introductions and Administration: The meeting was called to order at 1000
by the Port Safety Forum Co-Chair Matt Burns representing the Maine Port Authority with Commander Andrew Meyers as the Co-Chair representing the Coast Guard. A quorum was comprised of 20 individuals. Review and Approval of the December
13, 2017 Port Safety Forum Meeting Min- utes – Hearing no objections to the content of the December 13, 2017 minutes, Mr. Burns accepted the minutes as approved. One agenda modifi cation was required as the CruiseMaine presentation was postponed. Port Activities Update:
Weather Buoy Update – Tom Shyka, NERACOOS
Tom Shyka provided an update on
the NERACOOS ocean data buoy system. The Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NER- ACOOS) spans coastal waters from the Canadian Maritime Provinces to the New York Bight. NERACOOS provides weather and ocean data to fi shing and commercial vessels determining if conditions are safe for passage and to emergency managers issuing storm and coastal fl ood warnings. Buoy I (Eastern Maine Shelf) was damaged over the winter and will be re-de- ployed.
Buoy N (Northeast Channel off South-
ern Nova Scotia) broke from its mooring on 15 July 2017 but was later recovered after going adrift. Deployment of a new buoy has been postponed until resolution of engineer- ing issues with the mooring system at this site. The buoy has broken from its mooring several times requiring an engineered solu- tion.
Several Harmful Algal Bloom buoys
will be deployed in May 2018. At least one buoy will be located in Casco Bay, another South of Portsmouth, and a third (non- buoyed) sensor will be located at the Bow- doin Wet Laboratory facility in Harpswell, ME.
Please visit
http://www2.neracoos.org
to learn more about the extremely valuable on-line tools available through NERACO- OS.
Coastal Zone Management - Claire Enterline
The Maine Coastal Management Pro-
gram, is led by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry through a partnership with NOAA’s Offi ce for Coastal Management which continues to fuel their work with critical funding and technical assistance. The program is additionally funded by BOEM, and State of Maine (Submerged Lands Program). The coastal management program consists of a network of 19 state laws with four state agencies working in cooperation with local governments, nonprofi t organizations, pri- vate businesses, and the public to improve management of coastal resources. Maine CZM addresses an array of is-
sues vital to healthy coastal resources and robust coastal economies, including: Expansion of multibeam coverage for Maine’s coastal waters/ to update nautical charts; Investigate sand & gravel resources for beach nourishment; Refine existing seafl oor substrate/textural maps; Classify and map Maine’s subtidal benthic habitat and inventory biological communities; and Assist with special projects. Among CZM’s current initiatives is
seafl oor mapping using a small research vessel (based in Boothbay Harbor) which is regionally deployed each season. The data collected by CZM is used to identify bottom contours, features, and objects. Further, the vessel’s technology includes camera capa- bility to capture submerged images. CZM’s capacity also includes sediment sampling which is utilized in verifying off shore sand deposits for beach nourishment and use in storm surge models to generate more accu- rate predictions for coastal Maine. These capabilities are also used in concert with Army Corps of Engineers in assuring en- vironmental sustainability during dredging projects.
Dredged Sand Nourishment Sites over-
seen by the Army Corps of Engineers are being monitored by CZM in the following locations: Kennebec River off Popham Beach; Scarborough R. on Western Beach; Scarborough R. on Camp Ellis Beach; Saco Beaches; Kennebunk River off Goochs Beach; and Webhannet River and off Wells Beach A special project was recently con-
ducted in May 2016 to located and map submerged debris near a proposed dredging area at the request of the Maine Submerged Lands Program on behalf of the cities of
Saco and Biddeford. The investigation located multiple abandoned power cables which required removal. Coast Guard Update: – CDR Andrew Mey- ers – Sector Northern New England Ice Breaking – CDR Andrew Meyer CDR Meyers of Sector Northern New
England’s Prevention Department provided a review of the Coast Guard’s icebreaking season. In total the Coast Guard logged 715
hours of icebreaking in the 2017-18 season, servicing 12 vessels and freeing 26 facilities. Several of the Coast Guard’s 65 foot
icebreakers needed to be shuffl ed to cover a gap created by the PENDANT’s (Bos- ton) out of service time of several weeks in mid-winter to make mechanical repairs.
The down-time did not compromise cover- age in Northern New England. Further, the 140 foot ice breaking tug THUNDER BAY, which is normally homeported in Rockland, remains in Baltimore for a mid-life re-fi t. The Coast Guard is striving to fi nish work on THUNDER BAY in time for the 2018-19 ice season but the project could be delayed. The Coast Guard experimented with
using the 49’ BUSL (buoy tender) for limited ice breaking. The vessels proved capable in ice up to 5” thick which was useful in managing the season’s breaking calls. The Coast Guard was requested to
combat mid-winter fl ooding concerns on the Kennebec River. Ice breaking was attempt-
Continued on Page 20.
Bring your boat to New England’s most capable yacht yard for the care she deserves. Repairs, refi ts, storage and dockage available for vessels up to 200 feet and 480 tons.
Belfast,Maine 207-930-3740
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
