Waterways, Moorings, Town Landings
[with an addendum on mooring renewal dates]
Donald Edge
Presented at the Summer Town Meeting on 5 August 2003
I. Overview: a Town built on water
66 miles of waterfront, not including north & south beaches
21 saltwater bodies
12 beaches [ 9 saltwater [Oyster,Hardings,Ridgevale,Forest,Pleasant,Jacknife Harbor,Lighthouse, Scatteree Town Landing]
3 freshwater [Goose,Schoolhouse,White]
28 named freshwater bodies: 7 great ponds and 21 other ponds
1 dike
1 herring run
35 town landings [3 major landings [Barn Hill, Stage Harbor, Ryder’s Cove]
II List of Chatham Water Bodies [Water Quality Laboratory]
Fresh Water Salt Water
AP Archies Pond BH Bassing Harbor
BP Barclay’s Pond BC Buck’s Creek
BEP Bearses Pond CH Chatham Harbor
BLEP Black Pond (east) CCC Cockle Cove Creek
BLMP Black Pond (middle) CP Crows Pond
BLSP Black Pond (south) FFC Frost Fish Creek
BLWP Black Pond (west) LMP Little Mill Pond
BLP Blue Pond MC Mill Creek (aka Eel River)
DP Duane Pond MP Mill Pond
DU Dugans Pond MR Mitchell River
EP Emery Pond (a Great Pond)* MU Muddy Creek (aka Monomoy River)
FP Fox Pond NS Nantucket Sound
GP Goose Pond (a Great Pond) OP Oyster Pond
LP Little Pond OR Oyster Pond River
LL Lover’s Lake (a Great Pond) PB Pleasant Bay
MAP Mary’s Pond RR Red River
MLP Mill Pond (a Great Pond) RC Ryder’s Cove
MNP Minister’s Pond SP Salt Pond
PEP Perch Pond (aka Newty Pond) SH Stage Harbor
PP Pickerel Pond SS Sulphur Springs
PWP Pinkwink Pond TP Taylors Pond
RP Ryders Pond
SCP Schoolhouse Pind (a Great Pond)
SOP South Pond
STP Stillwater Pond
TRP Trout Pond
WP White Pond (a Great Pond)
UN Un-named Pond
*A Great Pond is defined as “any pond
which contains no more than ten acres
in its natural state . . .” in 310 CMR 9.00
(Massachusetts Waterways Regulations).
III Waterways Responsibilities
Town Departments
Coastal Resources
Harbormaster
Health and Environment
Selectmen – 7 great ponds
--Waterways Advisory Committee
Coalitions
Pleasant Bay Resource Management Alliance [Consortium of this area of critical environmental concern
Stage Harbor Management Plan Implementation Committee [Similar effort, now updating and expanding the plan to include the Southway and the Nantucket Sound shoreline
Commissions
Conservation Commission -- wetlands
Parks and Recreation – Beaches
IV Harbormaster Responsibilities: Operational oversight of Chatham’s Waterways
Navigation aids
Municipal Fish Pier
Assisting Mariners
Pollution Prevention and Response
Enforcement
Mitchell River Bridge
Town Landings (water side
Waterways management, including moorings
V Moorings Permitting and Oversight Situation
19 mooring fields
516 Commercial slips and moorings (116 non-residents)
2215 private moorings
1073 on wait list (duplicated count)
208 non-renewed
VI Moorings: Assigned and Wait List on 08/01/2003
Assigned Wait List
Aunt Lydias Cove 48 18
Bucks Creek 2
Bassing Harbor 90 2
Chatham Harbor 136 2
Cockle Cove 5
Cotchpinicut 63 34
Cow Yard 57 39
Crows Pond 202 40
Forest Beach 41 25
Fox Hill 3
Frost Fish Creek 9
Little Mill Pond 61 29
Mill Creek 3
Mill Pond 98 35
Mitchell River 40 19
North Beach 24
Outermost Harbor 15 18
Oyster Pond 218 72
Oyster River 309 109
Pleasant Bay 128 43
Pleasant St. 16 11
Red River 5
Ryders Cove 238 96
Scatteree 32 32
Snake River 9
Stage Harbor 427
SH 0-20’ IH 71
SH 0-20’ OH 101
SH 21-27’ IH 77
SH 21-27’ OH 73
SH 28’ + IH 97
SH 28’ + OH 93
Taylors Pond 36 19
TOTALS 2215 1073
VII Improving the Moorings Situation
Personnel: new Moorings Inspector hired
Equipment: new barge under construction
Mapping & Optimizing: in planning stage. Outer Stage Harbor is first
Policy: The only wait list moorings assigned 2002-03 were to replace non- renewals
VIII Moorings Recommendations:
· Optimize mooring fields to increase the number of moorings that strike a balance between recreation and commerce and the environment
· Change the two year rule to one year for recreational boaters
· Raise to the limit the mooring fee for non-Chatham residents
· Change the Mooring Regulation #1006.d “A person who fails to renew a mooring permit by 31 August shall forfeit the mooring location and the associated mooring permit” to 31 March, thus allowing the next person on the wait list time to prepare to use that mooring with a oat for that summer. Make consistent 1004d and 1006d and 1010d.
IX Comment on Waterways Infrastructure
Infrastructure challenges are the biggest issue that the town must face with respect to moorings and town landings. Opportunities to enhance Chatham’s shore side infrastructure (port and docking and parking facilities) are becoming increasingly scarce. The Town should pursue acquiring docking and pier facilities whenever possible to preserve in perpetuity public access and offloading facilities for recreational boating and commercial fishing.
The Simonitsch property and the Eldredge property on Stage Harbor are prime examples of a purchase opportunity. They are the last waterfront properties that can meet the needs of fishermen and shell fishermen.
The Stage Island Boat house is another purchase opportunity: it is ideal for housing a shellfish propagation system.
The Bridge Street landing is another opportunity for the Town to purchase a very active area that in any year could be withdrawn from Town use.
X Town Landings Recommendations
· Pursue infrastructure opportunities: The Selectmen should form a blue ribbon 90-day committee to develop a plan for the acquisition and use of these properties.
· The 2008 decision: who accesses Chatham waterways?
In 2008 the State’s Coastal Foundation Improvement Fund bonds expire and control of four important Town Landings reverts to the Town. The landings are Barn Hill, Crow’s Pond, Ryder’s Cove, and Little Mill Pond. It would be wise for the Selectmen to start considering the following questions:
-Could use of these town landings be restricted in whole or in part to Chatham residents/taxpayers?
-Should they be so restricted?
· Develop a response to a worst case scenario
--What if the fleet cannot access Aunt Lydia’s Cove?
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See addenda next pages
Mooring Renewal dates
Commendations
REGULATIONS FOR
MOORING, MOORING PERMITS and ANCHORING
Effective date: 1 February 2001
1004 (d) Mooring permits are issued annually and expire on December 31st of the calendar year they are issued.
1006 (a) The mooring permit holder who wishes to renew the permit shall –
(3) Return the form to the Office of the Harbormaster with the required annual fee between 1 January and 31 March
1006 (d) A person who fails to renew a mooring permit by 31 August shall forfeit the mooring location and the associated mooring permit.
1007 Mooring fees
(e) Waiting List fees
Initial fee $5.00 / boat
Annual renewal fee $5.00 / boat
(f) Late fees
Mooring permit renewals received after 1 April $10.00 / month
Waiting list renewals received after 1 March $10.00
Waiting list received after 1 April thru 30 June $20.00
1020 Waiting list renewal and removal from list
(b) The form must be returned by 1 March, with the appropriate renewal fee. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in removal from the waiting list.
(c) An applicant who has failed to respond by 1 March may petition the Harbormaster for reinstatement. If reinstated the person must pay the applicable late fees
(d) Any person who fails to notify the Office of the Harbormaster by 30 June that they wish to remain on the waiting list and pay the appropriate fees shall be removed from that waiting list.
Commendations
NVTAC Sub-Committee on Traffic, Parking, Waterfront, Town Landings
Dolly Howell
Peter Tarrant
Don Nolan (former)
Bob Vessels (former)
Chatham Selectmen
Bob Duncanson
Ted Keon
Stuart Moore
Susan Rocanello
Stuart Smith
Don St. Pierre
Bob Walsh
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