USACE Buffalo District to put up danger signs in 5 Ohio harbors

Army Corps of Engineers
Published March 19, 2020

The Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, will be placing various warning signs on Corps’ owned breakwaters and piers in Ashtabula, Conneaut, Fairport, Huron and Lorain Harbor in order to alert the communities about the dangers of traversing on these structures.

"The structures are designed to provide safe navigation in the harbor, and are not intended or maintained for public recreational access," said Josh Feldmann, the chief of Operations for the Buffalo District. "Safety remains a top priority for the USACE and Buffalo District, which is why we’ve posted signs alerting the public to dangerous conditions and directing people to stay off. A person could potentially be exposed to high waves, treacherous and uneven surfaces, and have no safe way to get out of the water should one fall in."

Ashtabula Harbor will have one "Danger: Restricted Area, Keep Off" sign placed at the west breakwater shore connection point.

Conneaut Harbor will have a "Danger: Restricted Area, Keep off" sign placed at the west breakwater shore connection point and a "No Swimming Sign" placed on the breakwater itself.

Fairport Harbor will have a "Danger: Restricted Area, Keep off" sign placed on the west breakwater and a "Warning: Surface Uneven, Slippery when wet or icy, No Swimming or Diving" sign placed at the east pier entrance.

Huron Harbor had three "Danger: Restricted Area, Keep off" signs installed at various points within the harbor. One sign was placed at the end of the maintained walkway on the west pier, another sign was placed at the entrance of the walkway to the weir, and another sign was placed at the south end of the east pier.

Lorain Harbor will have one "Warning: Surfaces Uneven, Slippery when wet or icy, No Swimming or Diving" placed at the entrance to the west pier and a "Danger: Restricted Area, Keep Off" at the west breakwater shore connection point.

"For us to enable recreational access to our navigation structures, the city or other public entity must enter into a recreational lease with us," said Feldmann. "It's a straightforward process, but it often requires improvements to the structure to enable safe and unencumbered access as a condition for such an agreement."

Similar signs were installed throughout Pennsylvania and New York at the following harbors: Erie, Penn.; Buffalo, NY; Cattaraugus Creek, NY; Dunkirk, NY; Great Sodus, NY; Irondequoit, NY; Oak Orchard, NY; Olcott, NY; Oswego, NY; Rochester, NY; and Wilson, NY.


Contact
Susan Blair
716-879-4410
716-799-2618 (cell)
susan.a.blair@usace.army.mil
1776 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14206

Release no. 20-005