Many cities have opened their waterfronts to greater public access in recent years, but Oakland's shoreline has remained industrial, much of it under the authority of the military and the Port of Oakland. Change is on the way with base closures and Port plans for expansion, public access and wildlife habitat enhancement.
The word "port" usually brings shipping to mind, but the Port of Oakland authority includes both the seaport and the Oakland Airport. Between the two is Port-owned waterfront along the Oakland Estuary, containing Jack London Square and other commercial and cultural resources. The City established a Port Commission to manage these important and visible aspects of Oakland's economy.
Improvement and expansion plans have been prepared for the three Port areas (seaport, airport and retail center). The seaport plans are likely to have the greatest regional impact: Vision 2000, to reuse former military land to expand the seaport, and a related channel-deepening project.
Vision 2000 was inspired by global and national trends. On the global level, growing Pacific Rim shipping needs more West Coast ports which can handle new deep-draft container ships. The Port was originally a leader in handling container cargo in the Bay Area, but its viability is threatened by a need for deeper ship channels and faster ship-to-rail transfers. On the national level, base closures have created new land-use opportunities. For Oakland, these include the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center, Oakland (FISCO) and the Oakland Army Base, both adjacent to the Port.
The Port's response to these pressures and opportunities was Vision 2000, a schedule of phased development projects to modernize and expand Port facilities. The plan proposes using the FISCO property, as well as other Port-owned property and some of the Army base, to "remodel" the Port, adding new terminals, relocating facilities and improving access and efficiency by creating a modern, full-scale joint intermodal terminal.
In September 1997, the Port Commission adopted the Vision 2000 Reduced Harbor Fill Alternative. It includes:
In addition to global and national aspects of creating a modern intermodal shipping facility, there are significant regional and local economic and environmental impacts. Regional issues include dredging and disposal of dredged soils, impact on birds and other wildlife, and air quality. Local issues include hazardous materials disposal and the impacts of construction and Port operations on the neighboring community of West Oakland.
Dredging: The Port is completing a dredging project which deepened the Inner and Outer Harbors from -38 feet to -42 feet (measurements of depth are shown with minus numbers). However, new container ships with a draft of -47.5 feet are in use overseas and at some West Coast ports. The Port proposes dredging to a 50-foot depth to accommodate these ships.
The deeper the dredging, the more spoils will be created, and the more difficult it will be to locate adequate disposal areas. The San Francisco Bay Plan developed by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) calls for "disposal of dredged materials...in non-tidal areas where the materials can be used beneficially, or in the ocean". However, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) has been working on a Long Term Management Strategy which would minimize ocean disposal of dredge spoils, emphasizing use of upland locations.
Bay mud has acquired various degrees of contamination from years of industrial activities around the Bay. Mud dredged from channels or harbors cannot be placed in some sites because of possible contamination of adjacent soil or water. Underwater disposal also can create turbidity and silting conditions which are harmful to marine organisms.
Proposed disposal sites for material from the -50-foot dredging project are: upland construction areas at the Port; underwater in the Middle Harbor to create a shallow-water habitat; and wetland restoration sites at the former Hamilton Field in Marin (or the Montezuma Wetlands in southern Solano). Contaminated mud would be dried at a Port location and re-used under a cap of clean soil at upland construction areas at the Port. Non-contaminated material would be placed at Hamilton and in the Middle Harbor. The Middle Harbor project could also use material from other Port projects or from non-Port maintenance dredging in the Bay.
Wildlife: The Middle Harbor enhancement project is proposed to offset potential environmental problems from construction, channel deepening and maintenance dredging by improving habitat in the Bay. It would use dredged material to replace Navy wharves in Middle Harbor with a shallow-water area 3-10 feet deep, creating a sub-tidal system to enrich the local marine habitat. The area would become the centerpiece of the expanded public access points.
Technical studies are underway on use of fill for habitat purposes. The Technical Advisory Committee for the studies includes members of the California Dept. of Fish and Game, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, US COE, Save San Francisco Bay Association, and the Golden Gate Audubon Society.
Port construction and new facilities could affect the Bay Area's only nesting colony of the endangered least tern, located at the former Alameda Naval Air Station, by altering feeding resources or attracting predators such as peregrine falcons. Tern food sources include fish and marine organisms, which may be affected by dredging and related turbidity. Port plans include using silt screens and carefully selected dredging equipment to minimize impacts on marine life.
Air Quality: The primary purpose of these new facilities is to increase the shipping through the Port, creating jobs and a boost for the regional economy. However, regional air quality will be worse as a result of the Port projects. Construction brings temporary impacts, and operation of a larger Port will bring permanent and significant air quality impacts, primarily from diesel emissions.
More trains and ships will load and unload at the Port. Trucks move about the area and sit idling in traffic or while waiting for loads. Diesel-powered trucks require several minutes of warm-up idling to reach maximum efficiency. According to environmental studies, emissions of ozone precursors and PM10 from the Port projects will exceed the region's threshold of 15 tons per year for any new project. (A similar increase could occur even without the projects, from other growth in the region during the same time frame.)
The problem is primarily regional; cars, trucks and trains travel through the region, spreading the pollution problem, and wind speeds and direction usually carry pollution away from the area rather than allowing it to collect locally.
There are few measures to control emissions which are under the Port's control. The Port does not own most of the trucks, or the trains and ships, but provides them space for operations which are essential to the functioning of the Port. In addition, ships and trains do not come under state or regional air quality regulations. Like other traffic-generating commercial centers, the Port attracts pollution while doing its business but cannot directly decrease the impacts.
Port plans include steps to reduce air pollution from the few Port-owned vehicles, and during construction. The Port is also committed to assisting Port tenants and contractors to reduce emissions. Measures included in the -50-Foot Dredging Final EIR/EIS include retrofitting or replacing vehicles with lower-emission models, and designing Port facilities to reduce idling time and driving distances within the Port area. Dredging will be done with electric equipment for the first time in the Bay.
West Oakland: Residents of West Oakland, and businesses and industry located there, are the Port's nearest neighbors. Before the end of World War II, this area grew with employment from the railroads, port and military bases. Since then, freeways, BART, and regional facilities have disrupted local commercial and cultural patterns. Unemployment and poverty rates are high compared to Oakland averages, and especially high compared to regional averages. Housing is old, often substandard and sometimes vacant; many residents live in public housing units. Although the waterfront is close by, access was restricted by railroads, military uses and the Port.
West Oakland residents have seen improvements recently. The central location and access to regional transportation networks have improved the housing market. Relocation of the Cypress freeway has removed a barrier and created a more logical buffer zone between the neighborhood and the Port. However, the community remains concerned about traffic and parked trucks attributable to Port activities, and about health impacts from contaminants at the FISCO site and air pollution from current and planned Port operations.
During the Vision 2000 process, the Port participated in neighborhood meetings with West Oakland residents and community groups. The Port has developed an on-site location for truck parking. The City of Oakland and the Port fund extra enforcement to reduce the number of parked trucks on West Oakland streets. Port traffic on local streets is expected to decrease when all access ramps for the new Cypress Freeway are open. Trucks which carry freight from the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe yard in Richmond to the Port will decrease when the new Joint Intermodal Terminal opens. The City of Oakland is doing a traffic circulation study to evaluate other needs.
New air monitoring stations have been installed to guard against a rise in local air pollution levels, and measures have been devised to test and remove any contamination found on the FISCO site.
If all plans are carried out, the region will see a rise in air pollution, increased auto and truck traffic, and perhaps contamination of water resources from dredging activities if mitigation is not effective. Offsetting benefits include a revitalized Port able to handle modern container ships, a regional economic ripple effect from new commercial activity at the Port, greater public access to the waterfront, and a new shallow-water marine habitat in Middle Harbor.
Implementation is up to many players, from federal agencies to West Oakland community groups. In addition to reviewing and commenting on environmental studies, some agencies will also need to grant permits for projects. For example, dredging and fill placement require permits from the US COE and BCDC, and from the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board if dredged materials are placed on land.
Some steps toward Vision 2000 are already underway. Demolition of FISCO buildings has begun. Still to come are final decisions on the -50-Foot Dredging Project, final plans for re-using part of the Oakland Army Base, and comments and final decisions on the Berth 55/58 replacement EIR/EA. (The draft EIR/EA is scheduled for release in July 1998.)
The Port's new look will develop in stages, beginning in the Joint Intermodal Terminal area this year, and finishing with the dredging project and Middle Harbor enhancement project, scheduled for completion by the end of 2003.
Vision 2000 EIR/EIS comments indicated concern that many mitigation measures depend on regular monitoring by the Port without oversight by other agencies. Ensuring that Oakland sees the benefits of these projects with minimal negative impacts will require ongoing commitment on the part of Port officials and continued community involvement.
On the regional level, some impacts, especially on air quality, cannot be totally mitigated by the Port and must be accommodated in some way by all Bay Area residents. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Regional Water Quality Control Board and BCDC have roles to play, both in pushing the Port to do the best possible mitigation, and then in balancing the economic needs of the Port, the city and the region against the quality of the environment, particularly the Bay itself.
The Bay Area would not be what it is today without the major role played by shipping. Careful use of the new resources provided by military base closures should enable us to keep the region's primary port competitive while adding another accessible, attractive waterfront.
Leslie Stewart
EIR/EIS: An Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Study done to satisfy state and federal environmental regulations. The -50 Foot dredging project was subject to a Feasibility Study as well, making its document an EIS/R/FS. The Berths 55-58 project will use an EIR/EA (Environmental Assessment) document.
For More Information:
Jim McGrath, Manager, Environmental Dept, Port of Oakland: 510-272-1174