Small Boat Harbors

Small boat harbor design criteria include requirements such as  

FIGURE 5-5. Site Harbors on the Outside of Channel Bends (McCartney et al. 2005). 

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Wiegers et al. (1997) have also applied the model to the concentrations of 10 PAHs (data for all 13 PAHs were not consistently available) for samples collected throughout Port Valdez, Alaska. Most of the samples were collected in the deep benthic areas, although samples from the Small Boat Harbor in the city and nearshore areas by Mineral Creek, the Valdez Marine Terminal, and the Solomon Gulch Hatchery have also been collected. All of the acute toxicity levels predicted in Port Valdez occur below the lowest levels set by the model. The sum of the toxic units (a measure of the total toxicity associated with the concentrations) is included in Table 6.2 as a comparison between samples collected from the identified subareas. 

ASCE Manual No. 50, Report on Small Craft Harbors (1969), was the first attempt to consolidate some of the Corps s navigation criteria for small boat harbors. Consolidation of criteria for inland barge navigation systems and deep-draft ship channels was undertaken by the Corps in the 1970s. This effort resulted in the publication of Layout and Design of Shallow Draft Waterways, EM 1110-2-1611 (1980), and Hydraulic Design of Deep Draft Navigation Projects, EM 1110-2-1613 (1983). 

The U.S. inland waterway system consists of more than 25,000 miles (40,235 kilometers) of channels and 220 lock and dam projects. This system moves commodities to and from coastal ports and interior cities. There are more than 400 small boat harbors designed and built by the Corps in coastal areas, rivers, and the Great Lakes. These harbors shelter both recreational craft and commercial fishing boats. Thousands of terminals and marinas are operated by local governments and private concerns. 

EM 1110-2-1615, Hydraulic Design of Small Boat Harbors (USAGE 1984), refers to design conditions as follows ... 

The design of a small boat harbor project will require an analysis and evaluation of information on the following ... 

FIGURE 5-6. Small Boat Harbor, Cordova, Alaska. Courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

TBT levels have been monitored in coastal areas of Western Europe and North America. These have ranged upward to 5.34 pg/L in Western Europe, and 1.71 pg/L in North America (Environmental Health Criteria 116). The highest levels were recorded in the shallow waters of estuaries and harbors where there were large numbers of small boats. 

AREA A. This area represents impact from coastal residential development, extending into the mouth of the Peace River and upper Charlotte Harbor. Primary sources of contamination are expected to be stormwater runoff (automobile related petroleum), municipal sewage and small boat marina activities. Surface sediment was collected from fourteen sites, water from eight sites and oysters from three sites, representing conditions in the development canals at Port Charlotte across the mouth of the Peace River and into the canals of Punta Gorda. 

Commercial fishing on the North American continent started over 300 years ago—with the first colonists. So many fish were close to shore that the colonists did not have to build large sailing vessels as the Europeans did. Instead, the colonists followed the Indians example and fished from small boats. Some fish were caught in traps and weirs (brush fences) set in the mouths of rivers and harbors. Shore fishermen used nets or, when the tide had gone out, searched the rocks and sand for shellfish. 

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