|
 The City of Quincy is surrounded by twenty seven miles of coastline. Quincy's diverse waters run the spectrum from deep draft shipping lanes to mud flats that uncover at low tidal conditions. In addition to recreational boaters, commercial
fishermen, commuter vessels, large liquid/bulk ships, towboats, tank barges, and commercial construction vessels of all varieties use Quincy Harbor.
Like its waters, the shoreline of Quincy is equally as diverse in its uses. Swimmers, clam diggers, surf fishermen, and sunbathers all share use of the shoreline and estuaries.
Quincy has four marinas; one, Marina Bay, is one of the largest marinas on the East Coast. Five yacht clubs, commercial fishing dock (Quirk pier), and three deep draft marine oil/bulk terminals also located in Quincy, provide safe berths for pleasure boats and cargo vessels. A very successful ferry service that transports commuters from several municipalities south of Boston operates out of the former Quincy Shipyard. As a result of construction projects in the Greater Boston Area, there has been an explosive growth in the amount of ferry and vessel traffic transiting Quincy Harbor. These ferries operate from the Quincy Shipyard and from surrounding coastal communities. Due to the City of Quincy's closeproximity to the Boston Harbor Islands Federal Park; there has been a tremendous growth in ferryboats and pleasure vessels passing through Quincy Waters to visit the federal park islands.
The state of the art Deer Island Sewerage Plant and the Boston Harbor Federal No Discharge Zone have had an immediate positive effect on the cleanliness of the waters and beaches of Quincy. Cleaner beaches and water have in turn increased the amount of people from inside and outside of Quincy who now use the beaches for recreation. Studies conducted by the Massachusetts Water Resources Agency (the operator of the Deer Island Facility) state that this upward trend in water quality and conversely beach use is expected to continue for at least the next ten years.
The giant cranes of the Fore River Shipyard have been removed over the years, but the city's historic shipbuilding record will last for ever. One of these great vessels, The USS Salem, still stands guard over the waters of the Fore River Shipyard and our Designated Port Area (DPA), an area maintained under state law for maritime industrial uses.
|
