POINT ARENA HARBOR & PIER
810 Port Road. | PO Box 67 | Point Arena, CA 95468
(707) 882-2583 | [email protected]
August 2025
DEPARTMENT REPORT
John Biglow
Harbor Technician Pier
COMPLETED WORK
• Restriped and painted speed bumps and crosswalks on Lake Street • Parking spot restriping has begun in the Cove parking lots
ONGOING HIGHLIGHTS
• Tuna run is currently underway; more boats are expected as conditions permit. • Urchin project continues with positive biological results and revenue for the pier. • Urchin fleet is harvesting marketable urchins, contributing additional income.
UPCOMING TO DO
• Repaint red zones on Lake Street.
• Lubricate hoist within the next few days
POINT ARENA HARBOR & PIER
810 Port Road. | PO Box 67 | Point Arena, CA 95468
(707) 882-2583 | [email protected]
September 2025
DEPARTMENT REPORT
John Biglow
Harbor Technician Pier
• The pier is wrapping up the urchin project, with three remaining dive days at the time of this report.
• Live-fish fishermen have seen an increase in activity, as two species have recently reopened for harvest.
• In addition to managing pier operations, I’ve continued assisting with Streets and Parks maintenance.
• We held a successful Hazmat Collection Day at the Cove. Patrick and I were able to remove a significant amount of hazardous materials and oil from the County Yard.
• The oil recycling building has been closed, and preparations are underway for its demolition as part of upcoming Streets projects.
• The pier hoist is scheduled for shutdown on Saturday, October 18, for approximately six weeks to complete a full rebuild.
• During the rebuild, urchin boats may launch out of Fort Bragg and continue harvesting in Point Arena, helping maintain economic activity for the pier. • We are all looking forward to completing the hoist rebuild and seeing our fishing fleet back on the water soon.
POINT ARENA WASTEWATER TREATMENT
105 Iverson Ave. | PO Box 67 | Point Arena, CA 95468
(707) 882-2700 | [email protected]
August 2025
DEPARTMENT REPORT
Joseph Wilson
Chief Plant Operator
PLANT OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
• Completed installation of the Pier Lift Station control panel and the main electrical panel. • Preparing to pull the South Lagoon mixer for debris removal and unit inspection. • Algae continues to affect Total Suspended Solids (TSS) levels. • Duckweed growth has begun in the North Lagoon, which is helping to limit algae blooms by reducing UV penetration.
FACILITY ORGANIZATION AND EQUIPMENT
• Began the update of the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Manual. This is expected to be a long-term project.
• Completed preparation of the final two percolation ponds, which are ready for ripping. • Updated the City’s Emergency Response Contingency Plan on the CERS website. • Added the large generator with its 165-gallon diesel belly tank to the CERS facility inventory.
VEHICLE EQUIPMENT AND MAINTENANCE
• Currently repairing and tuning the Jettier to restore reliable service. • Full system jetting will be scheduled once the Jettier is back in operation.
REGULATORY AND PERMIT REQUIREMENTS
• Mendocino County Environmental Health Department completed its annual site inspection.
POINT ARENA WASTEWATER TREATMENT
105 Iverson Ave. | PO Box 67 | Point Arena, CA 95468
(707) 882-2700 | [email protected]
September 2025
DEPARTMENT REPORT
Joseph Wilson
Chief Plant Operator
Recent Activities:
1. All percolation ponds have been ripped and are ready for winter. Next year, we will need to scrape the pond bottoms to remove weeds that hinder harrowing.
2. Total Suspended Solids (TSS) levels are decreasing now that the North Lagoon has duckweed coverage.
3. Work on updating the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) manual is ongoing, but progress has been limited due to other project demands.
4. Our crew addressed a sewer backup on Port Street, jetting the line and observing significant grease accumulation from upstream sources.
5. I will be on vacation from September 26, 2025, to October 19, 2025, returning to work on October 20, 2025.
Upcoming Priorities:
1. Collaborate with Molly to implement a grease management program, including distributing informational flyers on proper disposal.
2. Tune up the jettier to enable mainline cleaning before winter.
3. Continue development of the FOG (Fats, Oils, Grease) program.
4. Resume updates to the O&M manual.
5. Jet mainlines in the collection system once the jettier is operational.
6. Explore grant opportunities to modernize the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), which is overdue for upgrades.
7. Establish a capital improvement account for the WWTP to address emergency needs, as currently no funds are available.
8. Develop an operations budget for the WWTP, which has been operating on a minimal budget since my tenure began.
9. Conduct a rate study and propose adjustments to sewer fees as soon as possible.