Edmonds Oil Dock to be removed soon.

[Sea of Green]

Breaking this off from the Dive Site Listings since the discussion didn't really fit the format for that thread.

Current corrections can be looked up in Fischnaller's NWSD, a book that should be standard in every NW diver's collection.

All this is a moot point anyway since the Oil Dock will be gone by the end of the year.

As for that last part, all I can say is: huh???????

WSF is taking out the Edmonds Oil Dock (aka Unocal Pier) sometime after Labor Day, probably in November. I talked to the WSF Project Manager, Kynan Patterson, in June when I heard the rumor. He confirmed that it's a done deal and will be removed. This is part of the larger project of moving the Edmonds Ferry Terminal to the north side of Marina Beach, but that part will not follow on the heals of the Oil Dock removal per Mr. Patterson. Construction for that part isn't even scheduled to begin until 2012, pending funding. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/ferries/edmondsterminal/

But we all know how the wheels of our state gov-mint move, and they barely have enough money for removing the Oil Dock. However, Mr. Patterson was pretty definite about it, so dive it while you can.

http://www.ci.edmonds.wa.us/PressReleases/Slide_05_Modified_Pt_Edwards_Alternative.pdf

[Tangfish]

You can't take a log out of Lake Washington (I'm speculating on this) because it disrupts fragile marine habitat, yet they can rip out Edmonds Oil Dock?! WTF is going on here?????

[Sea of Green]

Are they going to leave the pilings and such? I hope the site will at least still be diveable, because there are lots of fallen structures and such down there that support a lot of life.

I don't know the specific method they'll use in removing the Oil Dock, but I seriously doubt they will leave the pilings. When you read some of the documentation, one of the main complaints is that it "interrupts the view" of the Sound. (My initial reaction to that complaint is "You want view?! I'll show you view!" and dunk someone's head in the water).

The other big complaint is that those nasty ol' creosote treated pilings are harmful to the marine environment. But we all know the marine life in and around the Oil Dock never got that memo. No matter, not much we can do to stop it. I plan to explore the area once it's gone, but I doubt it will be much more than what's on either side of it, barren sand. However we still have the other side of the beach by the breakwater to dive for a while. There are a couple of reefs made from riff-raff on the north side, but it's not anywhere near the beauty of the Oil Dock.

I'm going to miss the Oil Dock when it's gone, it's one of my favorites. I plan to make some effort to explore the Mukilteo Oil Dock while it's still there. But even that one is eventually slated to come out, but not nearly as soon as the Edmonds Oil Dock. Funding was a problem even before the aging ferry fleet was an issue.

[dwashbur]

I'm surprised some of the environmentalists haven't pounced on this flagrant destruction of habitat. I wonder if a little publicity from the diving community might make a difference...............?????

[Tangfish]

Let's ask Amanda Castleman to write about it. And, we can all take as many tanks as possible with us and chain ourselves underwater to the pilings in turns when they go to demo the oil dock. Now *that* would be a dive around the clock! We could also outfit all those ratfish with fricking lasers on their foreheads.

[John Rawlings]

I'm surprised some of the environmentalists haven't pounced on this flagrant destruction of habitat.

I'm not surprised at all! They're leading the charge. Non-diving environmentalists think in only ONE direction: Creosote = BAD. Even if you tell them that life is thriving on such creosote-impregnated structures their attitude is that such life is polluted and must be removed.

The old Mukilteo T-pier used to be a thing of beauty and absolutely COVERED with marine life of all kinds, but because the habitat was logs with creosote in them they were "cleaned up" and removed. I wish that you guys could've seen it. Anyone else that remembers how it used to be, please chime in!

- John

[Tangfish]

Maybe we can memorialize the Oil Dock by having a concerted (photographic) shootout of the site between now and d-day.

[Pez7378]

Maybe we can memorialize the Oil Dock by having a concerted (photographic) shootout of the site between now and d-day.

I will definately be taking a camera to memorialize my next and possibly my last dive there. The last and first time Joe and I dove there, he was attacked by a HUGE sunflower star. It was pretty taumatic for him and I wish I had got it on video or at least taken a picture. I was laughing so hard I almost "Pee'd my Weezle"!

[enchantmentdivi]

And, we can all take as many tanks as possible with us and chain ourselves underwater to the pilings in turns when they go to demo the oil dock.

That's my plan when the pilings at Titlow are removed.... I will become a "piling hugger!"

[spatman]

And, we can all take as many tanks as possible with us and chain ourselves underwater to the pilings in turns when they go to demo the oil dock.

That's my plan when the pilings at Titlow are removed.... I will become a "piling hugger!"

the pilings at titlow are coming down, too!?!?!

[enchantmentdivi]

the pilings at titlow are coming down, too!?!?!

They are on the list. Hopefully, the removal project will run out of money before then. Otherwise, I'm going to need to borrow a set of doubles from somebody. With a couple of 100 cf tanks on my back, I figure I can stay chained to the pilings in 20-25 ft of water for at least 4-5 hours. Oh wait, I'd have to pee long before that. OK, well, I will just need somebody to do this with me, so we can rotate out of the water for pee breaks.

[spatman]

the pilings at titlow are coming down, too!?!?!

They are on the list. Hopefully, the removal project will run out of money before then. Otherwise, I'm going to need to borrow a set of doubles from somebody. With a couple of 100 cf tanks on my back, I figure I can stay chained to the pilings in 20-25 ft of water for at least 4-5 hours. Oh wait, I'd have to pee long before that. OK, well, I will just need somebody to do this with me, so we can rotate out of the water for pee breaks.

i'll join the dive-in, if i can.

[Penopolypants]

the pilings at titlow are coming down, too!?!?!

They are on the list. Hopefully, the removal project will run out of money before then. Otherwise, I'm going to need to borrow a set of doubles from somebody. With a couple of 100 cf tanks on my back, I figure I can stay chained to the pilings in 20-25 ft of water for at least 4-5 hours. Oh wait, I'd have to pee long before that. OK, well, I will just need somebody to do this with me, so we can rotate out of the water for pee breaks.

Invest in a she-p?

[Sea of Green]

I'm surprised some of the environmentalists haven't pounced on this flagrant destruction of habitat.

I'm not surprised at all! They're leading the charge. Non-diving environmentalists think in only ONE direction: Creosote = BAD. Even if you tell them that life is thriving on such creosote-impregnated structures their attitude is that such life is polluted and must be removed.

The old Mukilteo T-pier used to be a thing of beauty and absolutely COVERED with marine life of all kinds, but because the habitat was logs with creosote in them they were "cleaned up" and removed. I wish that you guys could've seen it. Anyone else that remembers how it used to be, please chime in!

- John

Are we talking about two different piers at Mukilteo? I was referring to the larger tank farm pier, which is still there, but I've never dived around it. The proposals for that one are that at least some of it is to remain.



http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Ferries/mukilteoterminal

[Tangfish]

Have they ever considered installing "new habitat" to these sites for a transitional period, so that when they rip out the "contaminated" habitats the organisms don't just go bye-bye?

[John Rawlings]

I'm surprised some of the environmentalists haven't pounced on this flagrant destruction of habitat.

I'm not surprised at all! They're leading the charge. Non-diving environmentalists think in only ONE direction: Creosote = BAD. Even if you tell them that life is thriving on such creosote-impregnated structures their attitude is that such life is polluted and must be removed.

The old Mukilteo T-pier used to be a thing of beauty and absolutely COVERED with marine life of all kinds, but because the habitat was logs with creosote in them they were "cleaned up" and removed. I wish that you guys could've seen it. Anyone else that remembers how it used to be, please chime in!

- John

Are we talking about two different piers at Mukilteo? I was referring to the larger tank farm pier, which is still there, but I've never dived around it. The proposals for that one are that at least some of it is to remain.



http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Ferries/mukilteoterminal

Yes, we're talking about two different piers. There used to be a small wooden T-pier where the concrete pier is now by the hotel. It was a fantastic shallow dive and the bottom had piles of old pilings that had fallen down over the years. the fallen pilings were completely enshrouded in anemones, sponges, and other life. When they tore it all out they killed everything and left a "shaved" bottom....almost like it had been nuked.

Rabid enviromentalism at its worst.

Surely i'm not the only "old-timer' around that remembers!

- John

[Grateful Diver]

I remember it, John ... unfortunately I didn't have a camera back then.

For those who maybe have never dived the Edmonds Oil Dock, here's a pic that Greg Becvar took a few years back on a dive with me and Valerie ...



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[John Rawlings]

I remember it, John ... unfortunately I didn't have a camera back then.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Yeah...it was a beautiful site, wasn't it? It was a smaller version of the Edmonds T-Pier.

For those of you that haven't dived it, the big oil pier at Mukilteo is well worth diving as well. Out around the tip of the pier there is LOTS of life on the pilings as well as in and around the bottom. Immediately north of the pier there is a sand flat with depressions that are full of bark, clam shells and bottles that are habitat for gunnels, red octopuses, and a variety of nudibranch and hermit crab species. You pretty much need to access it by boat now ever since they closed off the north access beach, but it is one of my favorite macro photography dives in Puget Sound.

- John

[Jan K]

I guess we will not get replacement for any of the pilings, tire reefs....
Meanwhile:
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/artic ... /808210305

[dwashbur]

I followed the email link on the DOT page and told them exactly what I think of the whole thing. I doubt it will do any good, but I had to try.

Instead of chaining ourselves to these pilings, we need to grab a few politicians and ignoramus environmentalists and chain THEM to the pilings...maybe with an old 14cf pony on a short-fill????????? I confess I'm not feeling very charitable toward certain groups right now.

[Tom Nic]

I too will add my lone, small voice to the protests. This is SUCH a bad idea...

[fpoole]

Oh Mannnn....
I really like the OD... get some good pics from there and the Rat Fish?? all over the place..

http://www.psdivers.com/photopost/showp ... /photo/144

Bummer...

[airsix]

Instead of digging in our heels why not rush at them and push them into not only ripping out the creosote pilings (already a done deal) but forcing replacement habitat? I know there is an implied promise of replacement habitat at some of the locations, but it sounds weak. Like "we might get around to doing that". They've already planned to go a mile and there's no stopping them. Lets force them to go TWO by making the habitat destruction issue very public.

-Ben

[H20doctor]

here are some of my oil dock pics .....

[Sea of Green]

I guess we will not get replacement for any of the pilings, tire reefs....
Meanwhile:
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/artic ... /808210305

Wow, colossal ignorance from our illustrious politicians and bureaucrats, should we be surprised?

[Grateful Diver]

And what are they doing with all those creosote-tainted pilings once they're removed from the water?

If they're putting them in a landfill, guess where all those chemicals are gonna eventually end up anyway?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[TCWestby]

I'm not surprised! Wasn't it a couple of years ago Queen Christine got a bee in her bonnet to remove all creosote pilings in Puget Sound? I don't know what the timing is but that will have to add to her 2.7 billion dollar overdraft.

When the state and feds get done removing all the habitat and the life moves on who will they blame?????? Global warming, it must be global warming....

I'll have to get there so I can tell my kids one day how it used to be back in the day......

[airsix]

I don't have a problem with piling removal if the habitat is quickly replaced with something better. It's undeniable that marine life is attracted to the logs, but that doesn't mean the logs are good for them. Humans flock to McDonalds and CrispyCreme, but that doesn't make them good for us. Lets make some healthy marine habitat instead.

-Ben

[TCWestby]

My biggest issue is that it takes years or decades to get the marine life to really take hold.

The removals I've seen is in areas where there is no visible sign of oily water then immediately after cutting off the piling the oils locked inside are exposed thus leaking into the water. Now this may or may not be the right way to do it but it seems like it will create a bigger problem. Reminded me of the old days after installing new ones.

I'm sure glad I don't have to make the big decisions concerning this. I'd sure like to see the EIS for the projects. Also who is paying for the work? Most likely tax dollars, which means the citizens. I don't know about you buy I can't afford another tax increase.

When I loose my house I'll be the guy at the offramp with gear and an I'll dive for air sign....

[John Rawlings]

Creating habitat isn't part of the official program. The official program is to remove the pilings completely and kill anything on them. Unless they have changed their methods since they destroyed the Mukilteo T-Pier all that will be left behind will be a completely shaved sand bottom - they dig as far down into the sand as they can to remove all trace of "un-natural" structure.

Establishing new habitat requires permission from not only the same folks that destroyed the old habitat, but a long list of other agencies as well.

We have managed to create agencies that do nothing but hinder, while simultaneously legislating ourselves into a corner.
Am I cynical? You bet! It comes from years and years of futily attempting to do here what other states and Provinces seem to be able to do only to see the efforts here stone-walled at every turn.

It's frightening, but every now and then I actually understand the Anarchists' viewpoint when it comes to government.

- John (grumble - grumble - grumble)