New actions with derelict vessels…

Cleaning up our island doesn’t just pertain to beaches, forests, and roadsides. Our waters need our attention too, and hopefully with the help of the DVRP, they can stay safe, beautiful, and clean. Joanruth Baumann has more:

San Juan County and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are beginning an expanded effort under our local Derelict Vessel Removal Program (DVRP) to identify and deal with problem vessels before they sink and pollute the area’s waters.  Our county program has been proactive, but the statutes that define the program make it difficult to address vessels that have a high potential for becoming a risk, but may not be clearly ready to sink.

The need for this new effort at responsible vessel ownership was made clear recently in Penn Cove on Whidbey Island, where a vessel owner ignored state laws and repeated calls for the vessel’s compliance or removal.  With no enforcement process in place, the vessel remained in the water until it burned and sank, releasing hundreds of gallons of fuel into delicate shellfish waters.  Many of the coves in our islands have vessels that have been stored out on buoys for years, some in rough shape and clearly abandoned.  A few local owners have been responsible for multiple derelicts.  This winter, one local owner let three stored derelicts sink in Friday Harbor in less than two months, costing the public over $21,000 and dropping debris, fuel and chemicals into the harbor.

Under Washington State marine laws, the County and DNR will work with area volunteers and the County Sheriff’s Department to document vessels with expired registrations, those anchored or buoyed out on unpermitted buoys for far more that the 30 days allowed, and those which seem to have been abandoned.  These are frequently the boats that break loose in storms and cause damage to other boats or sink.  By that time, the pollution has been released into the water and a far greater amount of public funds are needed to deal with the clean-up and disposal of the hulk.

The Sheriff’s Department has had few resources to document the conditions of vessels over time, and this is where the use of volunteers will be helpful.  They can aid greatly in documenting boats with problems, after which the County may encourage compliance and work with owners to make needed changes.  If all else fails, the Sheriff will enforce the laws as he deems necessary.  Some illegally dropped buoys may also be addressed.

DNR will assist in this effort, both by working with vessel owners and with funding a large part of the effort.  The County does, however, need to fund some of this effort and has been fortunate to have received both a grant to pay for program startup from the San Juan County Action Agenda Oversight Group and some operating funds from the Port of Friday Harbor.  Additional funding will be required but can be matched 9-fold by DNR.  For more information, please call Joanruth Baumann, DVRP coordinator at 206-999-0547 or [email protected].

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