VIDEO: DNR’s Vessel Turn-in Program Disposing of 14 Boats Here

CNL2 VIDEO POSTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE

It’s the biggest Vessel Turn-in Event in Washington this season. By now, most of 14 derelict or abandoned power boats and sailboats have been “deconstructed” at Jensen’s Shipyard in a program run by the State’s Department of Natural Resources.

It was a team effort, involving no less than:

• The Northwest Straits Initiative
• San Juan County Marine Resources Committee (MRC)
• San Juan County Department of Environmental Stewardship
• Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Vessel Turn-in Program, and
• The Port of Friday Harbor

It is fundamentally a recycling program.

Boats were towed to Jensen’s from across the region, where they were stripped of fuel and any other hazardous materials, then shredded with a powerful backhoe and loaded into dumpsters. The loaded dumpsters are then hauled to a recycling center in Tacoma to be digested into the recycling ecosystem.

The goals are several:

• address derelict boats before they become abandoned boats
• remove the risk that these floating derelict boats might leach toxic chemicals, shed debris, or even sink (posing an enormously bigger cost to the taxpayers)
• remove the navigation hazards some derelict boats pose
• free-up valuable mooring slips in marinas occupied by boats that are no longer seaworthy
• raise awareness of the risks and costs posed by derelict boats in hopes of encouraging boat owners to be more proactive

Eligible boats are accepted into the Vessel Turn-in Program only when the owner volunteers to do so. Some owners are relieved to shed the burden of a derelict boat, but for others, it is a sad decision.

For owners who lack the financial resources to dispose of their boats legally, the Vessel Turn-in Program pays the cost, which can run from an average of $2,500 for a boat up to 20 feet in length to $62,000 for a boat between 46 to 60 feet in length.  The eligibility checklist is on the DNR website listed below.

CNL2 was there last week, getting in-depth explanations from State and County officials and recording video of the dispatch of a power boat to the recycling center, via a powerful backhoe.

During the Thursday media event, the entire group of government and non-profit leaders recorded a video greeting card to U.S. Senator Patty Murray, thanking her for congressional support of programs like these.  Those in attendance included San Juan County District 2 Commissioner Cindy Wolf.

To learn more about the Vessel Turn-in Program, click here.  Or phone the DNR Vessel Turn-in Program staff at 360-902-BOAT (2628).

Kari Koski is the coordinator of San Juan County’s Derelict Vessel Program.  To read an April 4 essay she wrote about the Turn-in event entitled “A boat is a dream on the water” which has been published by the Salish Current, click here.

This CNL2 video is approximately 3 minutes in duration.