Boats and ships abandoned in Oregon waterways are a serious, costly problem. The hazardous vessels contaminate water, degrade habitat and impact navigation. Now the state agency responsible for removing these derelict vessels has more funding to do it.
In June, Oregon lawmakers approved $18.8 million for the Department of State Lands to oversee removal of abandoned vessels.
DSL Director Vicki Walker said lawmakers were compelled by the scale of pollution these deserted vessels produce.
“There’s PCBs. There’s asbestos,” she said. “I mean, these are older vessels generally. And you know, all made with that horrifying stuff they used to make vessels with, in the old days.”
Walker said the first cleanup to use the new funding is underway on the Columbia River with removal of the Tiffany, an 86-foot former fishing vessel. It’s expected to cost about $1.4 million.
The legislature’s $18.8 million investment was made with funds from the Monsanto settlement. In the past, waterways cleanup was paid for out of Oregon’s Common School Fund. Walker said, “tackling Oregon’s abandoned and derelict vessel problem no longer means taking dollars out of the classroom.”
The State Land Board directed DSL to convene the Abandoned and Derelict Vessel (ADV) Workgroup as part of focused, ongoing efforts to address hazardous vessels impacts on public waterways and school funding.
