Impact of cruise ships brought to attention of Monterey city council
MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) A group of Monterey residents continue to worry about the pending arrival of cruise ships.
Member of the Monterey County SurfRider Foundation, Jeff White, said, while he understands that the ships contribute to local economy, he adds that their arrival could harm the ocean.
"The biggest risk that you run into is dumping illegally. We've seen everything from garbage to sewage dumped from their bows," said White.
Some spoke at the Monterey City Council meeting, Tuesday. They requested that the city collect more data on the pros and cons of cruise ships. Some want the city to do an economic impact report and find out exactly how much money cruise ships are bringing to Monterey.
"That's another side of it. How much does it actually benefit our local economy versus the other negative impacts?," said Monterey City Council Member, Allan Haffa.
Haffa said the Monterey City Manager, Hans Uslar, is working on a draft economic impact report, right now. Haffa said the study is being done by the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
Conversation at Tuesday's city council meeting have led to new ideas surrounding the entrance of passengers from the 19 ships scheduled to dock in Monterey in 2020. "We are able to charge a reasonable fee to disembark people on our wharf. Right now it is $7 per passenger. Does that adequately pay for all of the services and amenities we provide, as well as the risk we run in the event of some sort of discharge?," said Haffa.
That $7 entrance fee, and a variety of other purchases made by passengers, are the reasons some residents said they aren't bothered by the ships and want to see them stay. "It's great for the local economy. I think it's a pretty clean form of tourism. Instead of having 2,000 cars, we have a single cruise ship. Monterey is a beautiful place to visit," said Monterey resident, Matt Matthews.
Others stand by their belief that even one ship is too many for the Monterey Bay. "We need to protect this area. It is a beautiful place," said a Monterey resident.
