Mukilteo Fuel Pier

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oldsalt
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Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by oldsalt »

Fuel Pier
Fuel Pier
In the picture is a barge with a couple of big backhoes. The little dock to the right is what remains of the old fuel pier at Mukilteo. It has not been used for fifty years, so it's destruction is necessary. But watching its demolition is a little like sitting next to the bed of a dying friend. Many of you valued it as a crab dive, but for me it was much more. Schools of fish abounded there, ratfish, perch, tubesnouts, juvenile salmon - the list goes on. It is the only place I could see adult salmon swimming in salt water. Looking up from the northwest corner, with the anemone cover pilings sloping away toward the surface, gave the structure a cathedral-like when the sunlight filtered down. Many memories, big skates, curious seals, aggressive sea lions, and many good diving partners. Nothing is forever.
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by spatman »

RIP
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Gdog
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by Gdog »

Amen
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H20doctor
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by H20doctor »

I just finished my last Video shoot at the dock a few weeks ago , and its very depressing ... I feel like crying in my mask when i see whats left , and what isnt there... The one thing I can see at mukilteo that i dont see at edmonds is pieces of the dock.. Mukilteo fuel Pier is a mass of junk and destruction... And the company that was Hired to remove stuff , did a really Bad job... Some would say everything needs to be gone , that was the conversation I had with the DNR and the state , They want to return the site to its natural state BEFORE the dock was built...well its not .. Some will say The stuff that fell in and wasnt removed , Is now new reef , for fish and the Underwater Environment down there.....
Im very confused On how im going to put together My documentary of the dock ? either Im Pro or against? .... I made over 30 dives into the dock , 55 Gigs of video to edit ..rescued anemones from the pilings and relocated them at the Geo Dome, with the Help of Morning diver Bob... All the life that once was there... Is now gone , dungeness crabs too...
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Echo
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by Echo »

I think it's fantastic that you have this footage. I too was very emotional about the dock being destroyed. I still get upset about seeing the void between the T Dock and the Boeing dock
-Erika
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by H20doctor »

thank you Erika , we Had many Dives in that Dock ...
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oldsalt
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by oldsalt »

Chris: I can see them from my home. The dredge/backhoe has been working the site continuously since the main pier was removed. I saw them working today, hauling up fragments of pilings. I will be curious to see what it will look like when they quit. For instance, is that big piece of concrete dock float that was on east side of the pier still there? How about the fiberglass boat that was wedged in the west side of the pier? I am eager to see your postings on this. Before it was an Air Force facility it was a Navy dock. I found my favorite artifact there, a porcelain mess-decks coffee mug marked 1943.
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by coulterboy »

Memories - Memories - Memories! All very sweet. Indeed, I will miss it too. It will be up to the people who once dove it to share their memories via stories, videos and stills to divers who never dove it. To me, the memory that sticks the most are the countless crab dives I did in that place, not to mention the pesty ratfishes around you. One particular one was with H20Doc, where he towed me in his scooter and we had a blast harvesting crabs, or other dives with another group where kicking all the way to the dock and back was a workout, but well worth it. Another good experience is going through the pilings, and going deeper and deeper into it. My memories goes on and on.
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ljjames
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by ljjames »

Props H2O doc for documenting this.

From what i can see in your images, they were incredibly not careful with regards to removal and those torn up pilings look ripe for releasing more nasty creosote into the waters. are you in communication with anyone from WDFW? Having seen the removal at Edmonds I feel like this could have been done in a more elegant fashion. The purpose of this removal as I understand it was to get the creosote pilings OUT of the water, not tear them up and leave portions strewn about. I guess the end result will be what matters but this interim state is hard to see.

I'd be happy to help out with topside interviews for your documentary, I have full ENG sound kit, mics, blahblabblah broadcast quality cameras, lights etc. I think the angle to take (and the only messaging I'd be involved in helping develop/produce) isn't one of we should have left the pilings (because creosote is not good for the environment and piling removal is actually beneficial) but if we are going to remove nasty stuff we need to do it in a fashion that won't do more harm. If that messaging doesn't work for you (we can discuss it in PM if you like) I could also see a general collaboration on a separate project that supports the alternate argument of leaving the pilings (based on diver interviews of the diving environment that is missing now) where I give you access to the footage that supports your views, and you do your own edit :)
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by H20doctor »

ljjames wrote:Props H2O doc for documenting this.

From what i can see in your images, they were incredibly not careful with regards to removal and those torn up pilings look ripe for releasing more nasty creosote into the waters. are you in communication with anyone from WDFW? Having seen the removal at Edmonds I feel like this could have been done in a more elegant fashion. The purpose of this removal as I understand it was to get the creosote pilings OUT of the water, not tear them up and leave portions strewn about. I guess the end result will be what matters but this interim state is hard to see.

I'd be happy to help out with topside interviews for your documentary, I have full ENG sound kit, mics, blahblabblah broadcast quality cameras, lights etc. I think the angle to take (and the only messaging I'd be involved in helping develop/produce) isn't one of we should have left the pilings (because creosote is not good for the environment and piling removal is actually beneficial) but if we are going to remove nasty stuff we need to do it in a fashion that won't do more harm. If that messaging doesn't work for you (we can discuss it in PM if you like) I could also see a general collaboration on a separate project that supports the alternate argument of leaving the pilings (based on diver interviews of the diving environment that is missing now) where I give you access to the footage that supports your views, and you do your own edit :)
well over the last 1.5 years i have had 2 phone calls with DNR/ WDFW which i recorded for the Documentary... according to them the Wash state Ferry is in charge of the project.... Titlow is not being removed and will stay , and also Keystone will also not be touched...
As for Pilings ...Theres a crap load Of them still there :toimonster: they used this thing to pull them up that vibrated them, but it also smoked as it was trying to do it job , Thats why many residence got sick from the toxic air during removal...
My take on it is , if your going to remove structure, then put something back in its place .... But the Big stink with the DNR is the Herring study , and How their going to measure eggs that are next to creosote and measure the toxicity levels ..thats There Base Line fish Herring , as the test subjects... But I still need to speak with the Biologist at the aquarium 3 years ago that told me the whole Creosote thing was a sham because the pilings are encapsulated and its Not leaching at all ... Makes sense as you Look at the huge amounts of Life that grows On these pilings :)
My take was Put something there ... But another WDFW phone call was funny because a guy i spoke with didnt see the value with Reefs Here at all , and He was a Big part of the reefs back in the day , Hat island , and Onamac , and Alki ... So he once was a advocate , but isnt any more .... Funny stuff ... The most interesting fact i learned was The WDFW and scientist cant measure levels of toxicity in fish..wild fish, not Lab fish.. because it doesnt stay in their tissue... SO they do controlled studies in the Lab ..LOL which is a joke ... the current study phase 3 should be done by the end of this year .. and im waiting to see the non sense it doesnt produce for facts .... Ive learned a Lot over the last 1.5 years about Herring studies and the thousands of dollars wasted on them ....
Pacific Herring StudiesGC_CAA_Edits.pdf
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i agree the dock should , and did need to be removed... it was falling apart ... But something should go in its place
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by CaptnJack »

Vibratory hammer extraction is DNR's preferred method, but as you can see it can break well rotted piles.
http://wa-dnr.s3.amazonaws.com/publicat ... al_bmp.pdf

They can get in there and dig out the butts with a clam shell but I'm not sure its worth it.
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ljjames
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by ljjames »

Ok, so dock documentary aside...

The scientists I've spoken to describe physical changes from PAH's. Hearts malformed, brain bleeds, tumors, fun stuff like that. It is my understanding that you can do core sampling around the pilings and find increased levels of toxics due to the little creepy crawly things that burrow in and on the pilings, higher concentrations closer to the piling, diminishing concentrations as you sample further away. The difficulty in measuring bait fish may be related to the fact that the guys that eat the stuff lower in the food web actually swim away, so yes, it makes sense that it would be hard to tell by sampling a bunch of fish caught in the general vicinity. Perhaps the pilings themselves are not leeching per se but there are burrowing critters that act as vectors for the badness and they are unfortunately at the bottom of the food web.

As always, CaptnJack please correct me if I'm wrong in any of these statements, as I am no expert and want to learn more :)

Now, back to your dock documentary... just let me know if topside interview stuff would be of use and although i'm a bit busy, happy to make time for it.
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ljjames
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by ljjames »

With regards to putting something back, as I understand it you can't just put 'anything' back and get a reef like the West Seattle fishing reef. There are rock sizes and rock pile sizes (needs a certain amount of relief off the bottom) that will increase life but if its not done 'right' its pretty much little piles of silty rubble. Jeff C. from Seattle Aquarium has decades of data on this stuff and is a fantastic resource. (and again, CaptnJack, please correct if needed) :)
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Re: Mukilteo Fuel Pier

Post by H20doctor »

sounds great I will ...thank you Laura
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