An estimated 50 tons of rubbish was recently pulled from the bottom of the San Diego Bay under a debris removal program spearheaded by the Port of San Diego.
Boats, tires, batteries, metal containers, engines and other debris were recovered and removed from the area known as the A-8 Anchorage within South San Diego Bay. The A-8 Anchorage was an unlimited, free anchorage established in the 1980s to accommodate up to 150 vessels at any one time.
Over the years, however, many vessels within the anchorage area sank because of winds, storms, or simply because the vessels weren’t seaworthy. But thanks to about $219,000 in grant funding, the port was able to contract with a tenant business, Pacific Tugboat Service, to handle the cleanup. Side-scan sonar was used to provide divers with a “road map” of the debris.
The $219,500 for the project comes from a $120,000 in grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s marine debris removal program; and a $99,500 grant from the State Water Resources Control Board.
A survey of the A-8 Anchorage and surrounding areas found 950 debris items, resulting in the current cleanup efforts, which started in June. The work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2013.
Photos of the various types of debris removed so far can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/portofsandiego/sets/72157634866441090/ .
