Just saw a huge change in the harbor water clarity over the last two months

I've been working a job in the Port of Tacoma for about six months now. For the first four months, the vis was a solid 10-15 feet on most days, which was fine for the steel inspections we were doing. But starting in early April, it dropped to maybe 2-3 feet in a matter of weeks. At first I thought it was just bad luck with weather, but it stayed murky. I talked to one of the long-time port guys, and he said they started a big dredging project about a mile up the channel to make room for the new container ships. All that silt and sediment is just flowing right down with the current. It's turned simple tasks into a real headache, needing to work almost entirely by feel. Has anyone else had to adjust their methods for a job because of a sudden, long-term drop in visibility from a nearby project?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren21729d ago

Ever try to find a specific bolt on a piling in soup? That's my life now. Our crew had to switch to using these big underwater metal detectors for everything. Basically just waving a wand around until it beeps, then feeling for the thing. Adds like an hour to every single dive. Makes you feel real smart.

nora_chen29d ago

Honestly that "waving a wand until it beeps" bit is too real. Tbh we spent a whole dive once just looking for a dropped wrench in the mud.