Storm Damage & Prep
Tremendous winds blew in earlier this week causing some damage near Float 4 at the Mole. The winds blew over a tree into the walkway area below it. Public Works crews were quick to cut up the tree, and clean up the area. A flood light pole located in the same area also got partially blown over. Building Official Jon Gilbert and our Harbor Maintenance crews assessed the light pole, and all agreed it needed to be removed due to it being a serious safety hazard. Crews safely removed the pole and the lighting. Temporary lighting was installed to be used until a permanent light pole can be installed. The quick action of both Public Works & Harbor Maintenance resolved these dangerous situations in a timely manner. Heavy storms are expected Friday into the weekend, so crews spent time preparing for this as well. This included clearing the storm drain at Middle Beach, and preparing the sand bag filling station at South Beach.
Whittley Saltwater Repair
A saltwater leak roughly half way up Whittley Ave. had been giving us headaches for nearly two months due to the inability to locate the leak. The constant rains throughout January, and other work emergencies, made it more difficult to locate. Crews were finally able to locate the source of the leak, which ended up being a saltwater service line to a property further up the street. Service lines are normally the source of our saltwater leaks, but what made this situation unique was where the water ended up traveling. The saltwater leak ended up funneling into an abandoned underground sewer pipe that ran down a large portion of Whittley. The piping ended up carrying the water over a block down the street, thus creating the challenge of locating it. This is a rare situation, but it unfortunately does happen. Crews were able to successfully repair saltwater service line, and will repair the excavation areas as time allows.
Pumpout Dock Update
Both Harbor Maintenance & Public Works continued to work on the pumpout dock project. The sewer work is now nearly complete, along with the conduit relocation into the trenched area along the seawall. Last Friday the new pumpout float was launched at the same time the float for Float 5 was hauled out to be refurbished. Unfortunately it could not be installed at the pumpout dock due to the serious wind conditions we saw all week in the harbor. Weather permitting, it will be put into place next week. Once in place the connections will be made, and our new pumpout dock will be fully functional. Further updates on this project will be provided as it wraps up.