The State - News from June 12, 1988

Attorneys for the Port of Oakland have asked a state Court of Appeal to overturn a court-ordered ban on a dredging project designed to make the port deep enough for huge ships. The temporary restraining order banning the dredging was issued last week by retired Judge Donald Chapman, who said because of the project’s impact on the coast and the fishing industry, the California Coastal Commission would have to review the project. At issue is the final resting place for about seven million cubic yards of mud and debris dredged from the port. A dumping site 10 miles off Half Moon Bay had been selected. San Mateo County joined the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Assns. in a lawsuit against the dumping, alleging the mud was toxic and would wipe out fertile fishing grounds. Port officials said a deeper waterway is necessary, otherwise owners of huge ships, some as long as three football fields and 20 stories high, will bypass Oakland and take their Pacific Rim business elsewhere.