CRESCENT CITY, Calif. – The U.S. Coast Guard and California Department of Fish and Game announced the completion of the tsunami pollution mitigation efforts today at the Crescent City Harbor. Over the weekend, crews removed the final vessel and oily debris from the inner boat basin, which was destroyed by the March 11 tsunami.
“The completion of our pollution response marks an important milestone for the community of Crescent City,” said Lt. Cmdr. Agustus Bannan, federal on scene coordinator. “We recognize, however, that there is still much to be done to restore this harbor. Although our very visible pollution response efforts are complete, our commitment to the community does not end here. The Coast Guard, in conjunction with other local, state and federal agencies, will continue to work behind the scenes to help restore the harbor and its operations as quickly and safely as possible.”
With the conclusion of the pollution response, the California Emergency Management Agency will continue to work with the Crescent City Harbormaster to identify disaster assistance funding and help with project planning.
In total, cleanup crews removed 2,107 gallons of petroleum products from damaged vessels and 2,260 cubic yards of oily debris from the inner boat basin.
The cleanup operation largely focused on removing 12 sunken vessels that were identified as pollution threats. In addition, 16 pilings were extracted in order to access those boats and debris that posed a pollution threat.
DFG officials reported that there were no significant environmental or wildlife impacts.
“I would like to thank the Coast Guard, DFG and the cleanup crews for their tireless and meticulous work throughout this response,” said Crescent City Harbormaster Richard Young. “They went above and beyond to quickly clean up our harbor while also working closely with the boat owners and the community to address their concerns. We have a long way to go, but due to the great work of these responders we have a great start to our ultimate goal of returning to normal operations.”
Funding for cleanup operations was provided by the Federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and was restricted to pollution mitigation efforts. The total cost of the cleanup was $3.1million.
Information numbers:
- Crescent City Harbormaster’s Office: 707-464-6174 ext. 22
- For fishing vessel transfer permits: 916-928-7470
- Disaster Response One-Stop: 707-954-7222