Sturgeon reshuffle breakwater work

First it was seals, porpoises and whales and now it's sturgeon and salmon that are limiting the timing of work on the two-year $15 million Eastport breakwater renovation.
Because of the possibility of Atlantic sturgeon and wild salmon being in the waters off the Eastport breakwater when they are returning to rivers to spawn, pile-driving for the new pier has stopped until November. Although the restrictions have caused the contractor, CPM Constructors, to revise its schedule, it's expected that work will still be completed by next June, as called for in the contract.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sets acoustic requirements on the amount of noise that can be generated in the waters without disturbing either marine mammals or certain fish during the spawning season. The marine mammal requirements continue year-round and last summer had prevented the contractor from driving piles during most of the day, as that work had to stop for 30 minutes after a seal, porpoise or whale was seen within 1,000 meters of the pier. After acoustic monitoring equipment determined the level of noise generated, the exclusion zone was reduced to 30 meters and later to 16 feet.
Now, because both sturgeon and salmon are listed under the Endangered Species Act, during the spawning season the amount of noise created by individual strikes of the pile-driver and the cumulative amount generated during a 12-hour period is limited by NOAA regulations from April to November, according to Aurele Gorneau, project manager for the Maine Department of Transportation. Although sturgeon have not been seen in the St. Croix River for years, they are occasionally observed in Passamaquoddy and Cobscook bays, as are wild Atlantic salmon. A receiver to detect acoustically tagged fish that had been off Clark Ledge for about 12 months several years ago did record one tagged sturgeon.
Gorneau explains that once the cumulative noise limit is reached, the contractor must stop pile-driving for a 12-hour period. Because it would not be cost-effective to frequently have to start and stop, CPM has instead decided to finish the approach onto the breakwater and place the decking on that portion for which new piles have been driven. Gorneau says that over three-quarters of the piles are now in place, and CPM will place caps on them and then put the decking on top. "They have plenty of work to do," he says. "I doubt it will hold them up." He believes that CPM should be able to finish by next June.

Salt shipment
In other business during the May 16 meeting of the Eastport Port Authority board, Chris Gardner, the executive director, reported that the Star Zeta is expected to dock at the Port of Eastport on May 28 to unload about 15,000 to 20,000 metric tons of rock salt, which will be the inaugural run of the port's bulk conveyor system. The shipment is arriving more than a month earlier than the date originally projected.
The port authority reviewed the measures that are in place to ensure that the operation runs smoothly. The port operator, Federal Marine Terminals, has invested in a receiving hopper that is being made by Morrison Manufacturing Inc., and stacking equipment for the salt will be supplied by Fulghum Fibres in Baileyville. One of the three used generators that the port authority had purchased to supply power for the conveyor system and shiploader will be repaired at a cost of about $5,000. For this initial use of the conveyor system, Emera Maine will waive its $14,000 standby charge, the high price for which being the reason that the port authority purchased the generators.

Other action
Cate Street Capital will be discontinuing its $5,000-a-month lease payments to the port authority for land at the former BASF property on Broad Cove. Cate Street had proposed a wood pellet operation at the site but has had ongoing financial struggles. Gardner noted that Cate Street still has an interest in Eastport but is focusing on developing other locations first. The port authority will continue to market the property for potential developments.
Groundwork for placing the truck scales on the new port access road will cost $2,500, and the cement work may cost another $2,500 or more. Initially the cost estimate for all of the work to place the scales at the site had been $400,000.
The board approved placing the tugboat Captain Mack up for sale, since the chartering of the tug Jane McAllister from McAllister Towing and Transportation Company has worked out well.
Cooke Aquaculture will be having new feed barges delivered at the Estes Head pier that will be used at its fish farm operations along the Maine coast.