Commentary: We must rally to save our harbor fueling station

Residents, business owners and people who simply enjoy Huntington Harbour have an urgent situation at hand. A key part of the supporting infrastructure needed for a fully functioning harbor is about to disappear.

Huntington Harbour, like every harbor up and down the coastline, exists in part through a host of services that help make a community work. Mariners Point, the area’s only fuel dock, has helped build this community over the past 30 years.

Unfortunately, Mariners Point is scheduled to close permanently on Oct. 1. The shutdown involves filling the existing tanks with cement. This will not only eliminate the only source of fuel and supplies in the harbor but also the possibility of a fuel dock in this location.

This decision comes from the owners of Mariners Point, without input from the community or a serious search for a buyer or a transfer of the operation. It will be gone with no discussion of how this decision will affect the viability, marketability and safety of the harbor.

I am not aware of another harbor along the California coastline that exists without a fueling operation. With Huntington Harbour built out, finding another location in this harbor will be nearly impossible, not to mention the potential for years of studies and challenges from environmental groups if a site was found.

According to Scott Lindenblatt, who manages the fuel dock, Marina Point serves over 6,000 boats in Huntington Harbour. Mariners needing fuel would have to make the run to Alamitos Bay, Newport Beach or San Pedro.

It doesn’t take a leap to see the harm this could inflict on the community. Most boaters already feel it’s a pain dealing with the naval base as well as the Pacific Coast Highway bridge. With no available fuel in the harbor, Huntington Harbour slips will be the last slips of choice for people looking to berth a boat, making harbor homes less desirable.

Aside from the ripple effect on marina occupancy, rents, property values and businesses, a greater concern is the safety factor. Mariners Point has served as the main triage location for the Fire Department, Sheriff’s Department and local lifeguards. Injured swimmers and boaters will suffer longer response times since access to help from shore-based paramedics and ambulances would no longer be available from PCH and the mouth of the harbor. Other less-desirable solutions will have to be found, but as we all know, time is a critical factor when delivering help.

Another concern is the increased risk of incidents when boaters misjudge their fuel reserves as they try to make it to a long-distance refueling station. It’s not uncommon to hear someone on the radio requesting help because he or she misgauged fuel reserves. Losing our only source of fuel in the harbor could make this situation worse for local boaters who didn’t have time to make the run to another harbor to refuel after a late return. Also consider unintended environmental spills and the risk of fires when people bring cans of fuel down the dock to refuel their boats.

I believe the decision to close Mariners Point is inconsiderate to the entire community. Operators have been fine taking the profits for the past 30 years, only to decide to not only take their ball home but to destroy the playground so no one else can play behind them. One would think there is at least a safety, if not a social, obligation to the community that has supported them.

To be fair, I get that the fuel tanks are nearing the end of their warrantied life, but one would think that reserves have been set aside over the years to address the maintenance needs. New technologies approved in California allow the existing tanks to be cleaned and rebuilt in place, creating a double-walled fiberglass/epoxy insert inside that could be certified as new, with another 30-year warranty.

I can’t impress enough how important this issue is to the Huntington Harbour community and to visitors at large. I urgently ask that the partners of Mariners Point seriously reconsider their decision and request that the city of Huntington Beach get involved in helping to craft a solution.

BILL LARKIN is a resident of Huntington Harbour.