By: Justin Culetu
The Port of San Diego Commissioners recently voted to ratify a state-ordered and court-mandated environmental clean-up project on San Diego Bay’s Harbor Island East Basin. This portion of the San Diego Bay has been exposed to decades of pollution and will be cleaned up by aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin starting early next year.
The discourse between the port and Lockheed Martin, as well as former tenant and defense industry firm, General Dynamics, has been going on for decades regarding the environmental concerns on the bay caused by these company’s operations. The tow basin property in question was first leased to General Dynamics in 1954 and in 1966 Lockheed Martin built their marine terminal.
In 2005, the San Diego Unified Port District, which owns the tideland area, sued the two firms over the tow basin site. The site was first managed by General Dynamics and its subservient Convair until 1970, when Lockheed Martin took over the location. Allegedly, the operation of the facility included testing of model ships and oil spill recovery equipment which led to unhealthy substances being released into the bay. Also, in 2016 the port stated that Lockheed Martin contaminated the bay at the marine terminal facility after maintenance was performed on their Deep Quest submarine.
This project is estimated to cost $7 million and will begin with Lockheed Martin demolishing their 54-year-old marine terminal building then later removing and replacing the sand in the basin that is polluted with polychlorinated biphenyls and mercury. In 2017, the two companies indicated the roles they must adhere to in complying with regulatory requirements in a contract. The contract states that Lockheed Martin is responsible for financing and providing the demolition and sediment restoration work. General Dynamics is set to supply $850,000 in costs. Although nothing has been made official yet, the port seeks to redevelop East Harbor Island with hotels, parks, and other attractions once the project is finished.
Photo via Port of San Deigo
