FOR THE PAST couple of weeks, contractors have been removing and disposing of the macadam overlay on the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 3.
Once that task is completed, Lakeside Industries will apply a new surface with a slant built into it that begins at the northern edge of the dock and slopes to the south, which will cause all the surface water to run off the dock into the port’s storm drains and be collected in the underground tanks that were installed earlier this year by the bridge that crosses Tumwater Creek.
According to Chris Hartman, director of engineering for the Port of Port Angeles, this work is being done to create a process for handling the stormwater runoff from Terminal 3, which will mitigate contaminants from entering the harbor.
Chris added that once the tanks have water in them, they will be able to test the water and determine the treatment system that will need to be built that can clean the water prior to discharging it into the harbor.
Another tank
Masco Petroleum is replacing the fuel tanks at the Port Angeles Boat Haven.
I understand they are replacing four steel tanks, three of which were installed in the mid-1970s, with two fiberglass-clad steel tanks.
I was told the older tanks stood up well while underground, and when they were removed, there was no sign they had leaked, which is a reasonable concern when dealing with steel fuel tanks that are buried in the ground.
Platyplus platform
Earlier last week, Platypus Marine, the Port Angeles-based, full-service shipyard, yacht-repair facility and steel-boat manufacturer on Marine Drive, hauled out Ediz Hook, the 110-foot former open lighter barge that is used by the Puget Sound Pilots to moor their two pilot boats.
I understand the barge will be sandblasted and the bottom will receive a new coat of bottom paint and a new set of zincs.
The platform should be back in the water by the end of the month.
Platypus also hauled Turning Tide out of the water. She is a 53-foot U.S. Geological Survey vessel that operates out of the San Francisco Bay Area.
I understand personnel will modify the stern deck to accommodate the installation of a pair of Morgan Cranes and a bow thruster.
Harbor happenings
On Wednesday, Tesoro in Port Angeles Harbor provided bunkers to Ever Grace, a 751-foot Bahamian-flagged bulk cargo ship that is currently underway for Singapore.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the area’s waterfronts and boat yards.
Items and questions involving boating, marina and industrial activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome. News announcements about boating groups, including yacht clubs and squadrons, are welcome as well.
Email dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.