Portland waterways, streets cleared of over 100 derelict boats thanks to take-back program

Joyce Ogirri
·2 min read

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — More than 100 derelict boats have been turned in following a joint program between the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office’s River Patrol Unit and Metro.

The temporary​ boat take-back program in the Portland metro area allowed owners to dispose of damaged boats while keeping waterways clean. Sgt. Steve Dangler, with the sheriff’s office, said the program “allows people an opportunity to relinquish some of their assets prior to becoming a problem.”

“For each one that we get off of our waterways, another one or two show up,” Dangler said.

Since this summer, the joint boat take-back program got 107 boats out of the waterways and off the streets in Portland. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said the program has been a big success and helped boat owners get rid of hard-to-move, unwanted or damaged boats at no cost.

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“They are permanently destroyed,” Dangler said. “Nothing is resold so that we don’t end up with the same issue with the same boat in the same place.”

The Oregon House Bill 5202 funded the more than $250,000 needed to remove these boats. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office’s River Patrol said derelict and abandoned vessels on rivers and in the streets across the Portland metro area have been a consistent problem and a major threat to area waterways.

The boats are often found “either floating down the river unmanned where they become a collision hazard or a waste hazard,” Dangler said. “And the last thing we want to see is these vessels going down in our waterways, creating more of a pollution hazard.”

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On land, boat disposal can cost from a few hundred dollars up to $1,000, depending on the size and hauling needs of the vessel. But once the boats hit the waterways, those costs go up.

“We’re looking at anywhere from you know, $2,000 to $8,000 to dispose of a vessel that’s on our waterway,” Dangler said. “And if it’s sunk, those prices go up from there, as well, to where you might as well double that cost.”

Funding for the program has run out, but officials hope they’ll be able to bring it back in the future. Until then, people can bring any unwanted boats to Oregon Metro. More information can be found on Metro’s website.

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