Galveston city council members are discussing ways to get rid of abandoned, wrecked or derelict boats sitting in the island's waterways.
Derelict boats are a widespread issue across the island. Notably, there are two sunken sailboats and a beached motor yacht in Offatts Bayou, city officials said in their Jan. 22 workshop meeting. Council member Alex Porretto called it a public safety issue.
"It’s bad for private property owners, it’s bad for public safety, creates hazards in our waterways, muddies up the environment," Porretto said. "I mean, it really is a blight on our coastlines."
Porretto also noted how expensive it is to remove a derelict boat. He mentioned a case he saw that required $40,000 to pay for a boat removal.
City officials said the Texas General Land Office (GLO) has the authority to remove derelict vessels, but the office doesn't have enough funding to actually do it at scale since there isno dedicated funding source.According to GLO, depending on the size, type and placement of a vessel, removal and disposal costs can be more than $1,500 per linear foot.
The GLO website states that the "most desirable removal strategy is to locate and require a vessel owner to dispose of their own unwanted boat, preferably before it lands in coastal water."
However, derelict boat owners aren't always easily identified or reached, city officials noted at the workshop meeting.
As a potential solution to removing derelict boats from waterways, city council members talked about putting the need for state funding toward GLO's removal efforts on the city's legislative agenda, which would apply to the Texas Legislature's 2027 session.
"Let’s be the first municipality in Texas that says, ‘You know what? Let’s figure out,' ... Let’s run to the state and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got a problem. We want to advocate for you to get more funding, and let’s get the boats,'" Porretto said at the meeting.
Council members also discussed city-based funding solutions, such as creating potential fees for boat registrations or fines on derelict boat owners to help gather the money for boat removals.
Another option council members explored was the idea of working alongside a non-profit that raises money and helps state authorities to legally remove sunken, abandoned and derelict vessels, such as the Seabrook-basedTexas Citizens Against Derelict Dumping.
No action was taken by the city council at the meeting.
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