The City of Cordova has put in a permit application to the Department of the Army to conduct work on the Cordova harbor.
The city stated in their application that their intention is to improve the harbor and return it to a state of good repair. The purpose of the project is to improve safety, and to better accommodate the commercial fishing industry of the region.
The project will occur in Cordova’s South Harbor. The Cordova Harbor, located on the southeast shore of Orca Inlet, is federally maintained.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts maintenance on a 12-year interval. The last maintenance interval was in 2009, which included a dredging of the entrance and maneuvering channel. Cordova has the responsibility for the mooring basin and associated mooring facilities as the non-federal partner for the harbor.
Cordova is applying to remove all five concrete main walk floats and piles, the three timber trestles and piles, and the concrete seaplane float.
The Cordova harbor was originally authorized in 1935 and was constructed in 1938. It was restored and expanded in 1964 following the earthquake, and was again expanded in 1983.
After the aforementioned removals, the city proposes to construct new walkway floats and gangways, including Americans with Disabilities Act compliant pedestrian gangways. The work will also include the placement of 225 permanent piles below the high tide line.
The project will also need Incidental Harassment Authorizations from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The project area lies within the habitat ranges of several endangered species including the short-tailed albatross, Steller sea lion, humpback whale, fin whale, and sunflower sea star.
Community members can submit comment until Aug. 23 via emailing regpagemaster@usace.army.mil, or by mail to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District, Regulatory Division / CEPOA-RD, P.O. Box 6898, JBER, AK 99506-0898. All public comments should include the following reference number: POA-1938-00006.
