Scope of Project
Hughes & Associates provides pre and post dredge hydrographic surveys in support of the yearly dredging operation of the mooring basin and entrance channel of Nome Harbor. The surveys are performed in June and July and 30,000 to 50,000 cubic yards of fine grain material are removed each year. A local vessel of opportunity is used to conduct the survey. Weather in Nome can be a particular challenge as the temperature, wind, sea state, ice conditions can all change from one day to the next with great effect on the survey outcome.
About the Harbor
The Port of Nome is located at 64° 30’ N and 165° 24’ W on the southern side of the Seward Peninsula in Norton Sound. The Corps of Engineer's completed the Nome Harbor Improvements Project in the summer of 2006 adding a 3,025 ft. breakwater east of the existing Causeway and a 270 ft. spur on the end of the Causeway making it to a total of 2,982 feet. The City Dock (south) on the Causeway is equipped with marine headers to handle the community's bulk cargo and fuel deliveries. The City Dock is approximately 200 feet in length with a depth of 22.5 feet (MLLW). The WestGold Dock (north) is 190 feet in length with the same depth of 22.5 feet (MLLW). The Westgold dock handles nearly all of the exported rock/gravel for this region and is the primary location to load/unload heavy equipment. The opening between the new breakwater and the Causeway (Outer Harbor Entrance) is approximately 500 feet in width and serves as access to both Causeway deep water docks and the new Snake River entrance that leads into the Small Boat Harbor. The old entrance along the seawall has been filled in and is no longer navigable. Buoys outline the navigation channel from the outer harbor entrance into the inner harbor. The Nome Small Boat Harbor has a depth of 10 feet (MLLW) and offers protected mooring for recreational and fishing vessels alongside 2 floating docks. Smaller cargo vessels and landing crafts load village freight and fuel at the east, west and south inner harbor sheet pile docks, east beach landing and west barge ramp for delivery in the region. A new addition to the Nome facility in 2005 was a 60 foot wide concrete barge ramp located inside the inner harbor just west of the Snake River entrance. The ramp provides the bulk cargo carriers with a suitable location closer to the Causeway to trans-load freight to landing crafts and roll equipment on and off barges. This location also has approximately 2 acres of uplands to be used for container, vessel and equipment storage.