(a) Location. The following area is a safety zone: All waters of the Cuyahoga River, Cleveland, OH between a line drawn perpendicular to the river banks from position 41°29′55″ N., 081°42′23″ W. (NAD 83) just past the Detroit-Superior Viaduct bridge at MM 1.42 of the Cuyahoga River south to a line drawn perpendicular to the river banks at position 41°28′32″ N., 081°40′16″ W. (NAD 83) just south of the Interstate 490 bridge at MM 4.79 of the Cuyahoga River.
(b) Enforcement period. The third Saturday of September each year from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
(c) Definitions. The following definitions apply to this section:
(1) “On-scene Representative” means any Coast Guard commissioned, warrant, or petty officer designated by the Captain of the Port Buffalo to monitor a safety zone, permit entry into the zone, give legally enforceable orders to persons or vessels within the zones, and take other actions authorized by the Captain of the Port.
(2) “Public vessel” means vessels owned, chartered, or operated by the United States, or by a State or political subdivision thereof.
(d) Regulations.
(1) In accordance with the general regulations in § 165.23 of this part, entry into, transiting, or anchoring within this safety zone identified in paragraph (a) of this section is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Buffalo or his designated on-scene representative.
(2) The safety zone identified in paragraph (a) of this section is closed to all vessel traffic, except as may be permitted by the Captain of the Port Buffalo or his designated on-scene representative.
(3) Vessel operators desiring to enter or operate within the safety zone must contact the Captain of the Port Buffalo or his on-scene representative to obtain permission to do so. The Captain of the Port Buffalo or his on-scene representative may be contacted via VHF Channel 16. Vessel operators given permission to enter or operate in the safety zone must comply with all directions given to them by the Captain of the Port Buffalo, or his on-scene representative.
(4) Additionally, all vessels over 65 feet intending to transit, moor or conduct operations to include loading or discharging of cargo or passengers in the Cuyahoga River while the safety zone is being enforced should request permission from the COTP or his/her designated representative at least 12 hours before the zone is established.
(e) Exemption. Public vessels, as defined in paragraph (c) of this section, are exempt from the requirements in this section.
(f) Waiver. For any vessel, the Captain of the Port Buffalo or his designated representative may waive any of the requirements of this section, upon finding that operational conditions or other circumstances are such that application of this section is unnecessary or impractical for the purposes of public or environmental safety.
[USCG-2014-0082, 80 FR 51943, Aug. 27, 2015]