Cordova South Harbor: Long-awaited project finally underway.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: CONSTRUCTION

Last November, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded $20 million to the City of Cordova for the ongoing rebuild of its South Harbor. And while the process to replace the aging harbor will be a long one, for the city and one of the state's largest commercial fishing fleets, the project couldn't get started soon enough.

"We've been needing it for a long time; the harbor that is being replaced was being built in 1981 when I first came here and was expected to have about a thirty-year lifespan," says fisherman Jeff Bailey of the FV Odyssey and FV Miss Margeaux. "Now, it's on year forty."

Bailey adds, "Every year, more floats become waterlogged and roll over, and the cleats on the dock have broken loose with a number of larger vessels... It's not uncommon for floats to break loose with boats attached, and we have to go corral them."

Though the state originally built Cordova's South Harbor, it later turned it over to the community, which became responsible for maintenance and repairs. "As fishermen, we invest in ourequipmenteveryyear, building new boats and new fishing nets and making modifications and improvements, but the harbor didn't evolve in this same way," says Bailey. "There were many competing priorities, and once it started deteriorating, there was no funding left. It's difficult for a city of our size to fix something like this all on its own."

"If the entire fleet had been in town when the grant was announced, you could have heard the 'hurrahs' all the way to Anchorage," laughs Cordova City Manager Helen Howarth. "It's a really big deal. The fleet has been suffering with this aging infrastructure for a long time, and getting these issues resolved will make for much more comfortable, safer harbor."

Restoring the Harbor

While the harbor restoration is still in the planning stages, the $20 million grant is expected to go toward restoring South Harbor docks and floats, as well as paying for sheet piling, dredging, and construction of a new drive-down floatplane and vessel services dock. The project is also expected to improve environmental sustainability by reducing water pollution by creating a pump-out sewer station to eliminate the temptation of vessels to discharge wastewater into the harbor. Other improvements include improving access not only for the commercial fleet but making the harbor more attractive for small-scale cruise ships, independent cruisers, and sportfishing operators.

The city recently hired Mark Keller to...