Derelict vessels booted from state waterways

It wasn't a pretty site when the Murph, a 70-year-old derelict tug boat posing a navigation hazard in Quartermaster Harbor, was pulled to the surface last year. It took two days to retrieve the 100-foot-long vessel. Photo: DNR.
It wasn’t a pretty site when the Murph, a 70-year-old derelict tug boat posing a navigation hazard in Quartermaster Harbor, was pulled to the surface last year. It took two days to retrieve the 100-foot-long vessel. Photo: DNR.

Thanks to a $4.5 million infusion from the legislature for the 2013-15 biennium, DNR’s Derelict Vessel Removal Program was able to remove several larger vessels that were threatening navigation and the environment. These large, abandoned hulks included the Helena Star (costing $1,158,608 to remove); the Murph, ($622,000), and the Golden West ($588,650). Last year, the program, which is largely funded by a portion of boater registration fees, worked with local agencies to remove 40 vessels, including a special project that cleared seven abandoned boats and other marine debris from Snohomish County waterways last year.

More about the DNR Derelict Vessel Program

Take a look at other news in the DNR 2014 Annual Report.

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Ear to the Ground
Ear to the Ground: The official blog of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR)—an agency headed by Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove to provide stewardship, protection, and leadership of Washington’s state-owned lands.
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