San Joaquin County wants to rid itself of a stretch of roadway west of Stockton that runs alongside the abandoned Aurora cruise ship.
Nearby water reclamation districts, private property owners and the city of Stockton have asked the county to turn over a milelong stretch of Empire Tract Road to limit public access to the area.
Fritz Buchman, San Joaquin County’s director of public works, said in an Oct. 22 letter to the Board of Supervisors that “malicious activity” — including vandalism, illegal dumping and the discharge of firearms — has plagued the area.
The county began maintaining the roadway in 1943 to provide access to the Medford Island Ferry Ramp. But now, with San Joaquin no longer responsible for the ferry ramp and little traffic on the road, officials say it’s time to let it go.
If approved, Reclamation District 2029 will take over the stretch of asphalt. The district plans to construct a private gate and a turnaround section for public and emergency vehicles, and an easement for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. will be reserved, according to county officials.
Before a vote can be made on the issue, however, public comment will be allowed at a Dec. 10 hearing.
While the portion of road to be vacated is indicated as a scenic route, Buchman said the Community Development Department determined that access to view the Delta waterways would remain, although it will be limited.
Empire Tract Road runs alongside the MV Aurora, a 293-foot pocket cruise ship that sank in May near Herman & Helen’s Marina, spilling oil and gas into Little Potato Slough.
Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard said in June that about 22,000 gallons of oily water and 3,100 gallons of hazardous waste had been removed from nearby waters.
The city’s Delta Water Treatment Plant intake and pump station, which is less than a mile away, was turned off at the time to prevent contaminated water from reaching the approximately 200,000 Stockton customers it serves.
The Aurora is currently being kept upright with the help of two diesel generators that continually pump out water.
“We’ve been monitoring the vessel, maintaining some pumps to keep it afloat while other plans are made to remove and dispose of the vessel,” said Mel Lytle, Stockton’s director of municipal utilities.
Lytle said the city has spent about $137,000 in cleanup efforts on the derelict vessel, in hopes of ultimately having it removed. But, he noted, “Those costs are currently under development and are more significant than that.”
Because of the exorbitant costs, the city is seeking a $1 million dollar grant from the BoatUS Foundation’s Abandoned Derelict Vessels program to help offset the cost of removing the Aurora from the Delta.
The City Council voted unanimously during its Nov. 19 meeting to apply for the grant.
The program, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, provides funds to assist in the removal of derelict vessels from waterways for projects that will take less than two years to complete.