A mast sticking out of the water; a deckhouse exposed at low tide; an old runabout lying on its side on the bank. Boats abandoned by their owners come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing remains the same: These derelicts take time, money and effort to remove, and the costs are often borne by the boating public.
WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCESGreybeard was one of the first vessels removed from San Juan County waters under the new Washington state program. A small runabout might cost as much as $2,000 to haul away and break up at a landfill. A 30-footer might cost three times that much. Add another $25,000 if it's sunk and needs to be raised. Local governments must often pay for derelict removal out of already under-funded waterway improvement accounts. Many states have made grants available to reimburse some or most of these costs, but funding for these programs is inconsistent.
Most states have a list, often several hundred vessels long, of problem boats. Generally, priority for removal is based on the boat's location and factors such as whether or not it is a hazard to navigation, is in a stable position or poses any sort of environmental hazard. Boats in this last category are frequently dealt with first, sometimes directly by the state.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard has the authority to move derelicts that pose a hazard to navigation, but not to dispose of them. For vessels that aren't a hazard to navigation, a different, lengthier process takes over. The exact procedure varies from state to state, but the steps are similar.
First a vessel has to be declared abandoned; the state must attempt to contact the last registered owner; legal notice has to be given to the public; finally, the state can assume possession of the vessel. In some states the seizure is conducted by the counties, but the process remains the same. After the state or county assumes custody, the local authorities can take over.
VARYING SUCCESS
WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCESDerelict removal schedules are prioritized. It can be years before a low priority boat is removed.
States have had varying success dealing with the derelict boat problem. A dedicated program with steady funding improves a state's chances of containing the problem, but even then, states such as California and Florida, each with large boating populations, still find the number of derelicts increasing.
In Florida, which has thousands of derelict boats in its database, the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission tags and declares boats abandoned. Once a year, the state transfers custody of the boats it has seized to the counties; the counties can then remove the vessels on their own schedule.
When funds are available, the state provides grants to requesting counties to reimburse a portion of the cost of removal. In 2007, Florida targeted 850 of the worst vessels for removal, but removal is funded by grant money, and the well has been dry for years.
Florida funds derelict removal through the Florida Coastal Protection Trust Fund, which is generated by a tax on petroleum imports. The account is managed by the Department of Environmental Protection, not the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Legislators must make a special effort to transfer some of the Coastal Protection Trust Fund to Fish and Wildlife for the purpose of removing derelicts, or else the money dries up – and the Florida legislature has not done so since 2003. As a result, some counties have begun tagging and seizing derelicts on their own.
Other states have specifically created funds generated by boating taxes and fees to use for derelict removal. Washington state created such a fund in 2002 by increasing vessel registration costs by $2 per year. The fund's balance was about $700,000 in fiscal year 2006. The steady funding has allowed the state to reimburse 75 percent of the cost of removal for 86 vessels since the program began, with more listed.
