Officials report boats going aground
Oak Orchard Harbor is the life blood of the charter boat sport fishing industry and pleasure boating in Orleans County. The harbor provides over 400 public and private docks for other recreational interests of many of our county residents. Shown, a marina at Point Breeze. Photograph by Rick Nicholson.Officials in Orleans County are calling on the federal government to provide funds for the dredging of Oak Orchard Harbor.
Wayne Hale, manager of the Orleans County Marine Park, says in 2012 there have been twelve reported incidents of boats going aground and damaging their drives when entering the harbor.
Oak Orchard is a federal harbor and is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, but Hale says funding has been severely restricted through 2013. The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund will hold approximately $8 billion by the end of this year, but Hale says only $800 million was used last year and none was spent on any Lake Ontario harbor.
“This condition continues to worsen,” Hale says, “2009 Corps of Engineers depth soundings show the harbor is about 50 percent of its required depth; four feet in some places.”
The last time the harbor was dredged was in 2004, officials say, when it was brought back to the required ten feet entrance depth and eight feet in the harbor basin. In their report, the Corps of Engineers states the harbor should be dredged every three to five years to maintain proper depth.
Mike Waterhouse, Orleans County Sportfishing Coordinator, says Oak Orchard Harbor is the life blood of the charter boat sport fishing industry in Orleans County. “Thirty-two businesses support the sport fishing industry including marinas, lodging, tackle shops and restaurants. The harbor provides over 400 public and private docks for other recreational interests of many of our county residents,” he added.
The harbor is also used as an entrance point from Canada because it has a U.S. Customs videophone, the only one within 60 miles, officials say. The harbor is utilized by the Orleans County Marine Patrol, the U.S. Coastguard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the NYSDEC for a port of operations.
Orleans County Legislature Chairman David Callard says Oak Orchard is an important part of the county’s tourism industry which generated over $23 million in tourism related income last year.
“We need immediate federal assistance to keep our harbor and its businesses operating,” he said.
Officials say in 2009, Orleans County joined the Shallow Draft Harbor Coalition in an effort to have the funds in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund used for their intended purpose. The county also leads a six-county committee of Lake Ontario harbors in preparing a regional dredging plan.
