Date set to remove Japanese dock from Oregon beach

By KATU.com Staff Published: Jun 26, 2012 at 1:57 PM PDT
Date set to remove Japanese dock from Oregon beach
This June 6, 2012 photo shows Sue Odierno, of Salishan, Ore., looking at the massive dock from Japan that washed ashore on Agate Beach near Newport, Ore. Scientists are concerned that tsunami debris like this could be a new avenue for invasive species arriving on the West Coast (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

AGATE BEACH, Ore. – The dock that was ripped loose by the Japanese tsunami and spent more than a year floating across the Pacific before washing up in Oregon will be on Agate Beach for about another month.

The derelict dock will be dismantled and removed starting the week of July 30. A Vancouver, Wash. company won the contract to remove the dock.

Workers from Ballard Diving and Salvage are expected to spend up to a week taking the dock apart piece by piece and removing it from the beach.

The state rejected other plans to float the dock elsewhere over concerns there might still be some invasive species living inside the dock.

Environmental crews removed as many living organisms off the dock as possible but they couldn’t guarantee there weren’t any more living things inside the dock or in other places they couldn’t reach.

If you’d like to visit the dock before July 30, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department asks you to follow a few rules:

  • Visit at low tide. Visit the Hatfield Marine Science Center website for a tidetable.
  • While visiting, watch for traffic congestion and use the paved parking lot on the east side of the road.
  •  When on the beach, keep a close eye on each other. The surf here can be surprisingly fierce.
  • Stay off the dock.