Alaska's ports, harbors, and docks: integral to commerce and travel.

AuthorAnderson, Tom
PositionTRANSPORTATION

When singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper penned their soulful melody with the iconic chorus "I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin' time," they definitely weren't referring to the Alaskan men and women who keep the state's harbors, ports, and docks operational.

Management of water access infrastructure is no easy task. As capital monies and legislative purse strings tighten, commercial and government agencies that oversee ports, harbors, and docks are feeling the pinch. Many managers are finding it necessary to balance waning legislative funding with the ebb and flow of customers and tourists who pay for the facilities' services.

The good news is that the majority of Alaskans and tourists, whether commuters and passengers, pleasure boaters, commercial and sport fishermen, or shippers of cargo and freight, seem to recognize that accessible waterways benefits everyone.

Water Matters

Take a look at the entire nation's surface water and you will find that Alaska holds more than 40 percent of the US total.

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources Mining, Land & Water Division states that when it comes to rain, an average of 1.05 million gallons of precipitation per day falls in the state.

What is even more impressive is the fact that the state has more than 3 million lakes (sorry Minnesota), over twelve thousand rivers, thousands of creeks and streams, and over one hundred thousand glaciers. The Yukon, Kuskokwim, and Copper rivers are in the top ten list for the nation's largest rivers. All in all, whether dealing with travel or commerce, Alaska is as much about water as it is about land, mountains, trees, and air.

The Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators (AAHPA) is the trade organization for the commercial and non-commercial marine industry. Municipal and nonprofit members exchange information relating to maintenance, operations, safety, enforcement, and regulations.

"We have thirty-seven port and harbor management members throughout the state who represent their respective communities," says Kim Erickson with AAHPA. "Fortunately they are engaged and active in the association, which makes us more effective when dealing with policies and budgets for new projects. We actively advocate for legislative funding from the State Legislature every year to ensure needed projects keep getting completed."

The AAHPA holds an annual conference and pays deference to the size of the state by holding the venue in a different member's location each year. One reason this is done is so harbor administrators can learn about their peers' operations and processes while boosting the local economy in which the event is held. Solidarity in funding requests is also a target, yet there is a sense of self-preservation that also flows through each community's project requests.

The 2014 AAHPA Annual conference will be held October 13-17 in Ketchikan.

What's the Difference?

Alaska may be large, and its water integral, but the nomenclature for access methods bounces across the spectrum of size and shape.

Take, for example, a port. This is a location along a shore or coast with at least one harbor where marine vessels can dock and transfer people or cargo from and to land. The harbor is a body of water that is deep enough and protected so as to offer anchorage for marine vessels. Then there is a dock.

The term "dock" could mean the area of water between two piers or alongside a pier to receive a vessel for loading, unloading, or repairs. It might also refer to a single pier, or a wharf, or the old wooden structure that floats at your family cabin and from which you cast a trout line. Docks can be on a river, lake, or in the ocean. The word is also a verb, as written above, and the act of mooring or coming into contact with a structure or land from water.

When asked about the difference between Alaska ports, harbors, and docks, even Michael Lukshin, the Statewide Ports and Harbors Engineer, admits everyone does not use the same definition. To make things more complicated, because vernacular varies and reporting is inconsistent, there is not a precise count for all marine facilities (ports, harbors, docks) in the state. Lukshin estimates that there are more than five hundred marine facilities throughout Alaska.

As for funding, every community has its druthers, but what Erickson, Lukshin, and the Alaska marine industry can agree on is that ports, harbors, and docks are critically important to commerce and travel throughout the state...

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