Rid waters of abandoned boats

The city of Charleston has begun the necessary work of removing abandoned boats from the Ashley River. The derelict hulks are ugly. They're a source of pollution. They interfere with recreation. And they are a hazard to wildlife and navigation.

But the city's job won't be done when these 12 boats are removed. There are at least 12 more, and there will likely be more and more unless something is done to deter the practice.

Mount Pleasant, Folly Beach, Georgetown, Beaufort and Little River are in the same figurative boat.

Taxpayers are picking up the tab for boat owners' actions, and it isn't cheap. Removing 12 boats from the Ashley River area is costing DHEC's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management $45,000 and Charleston $15,000. Efforts by Mount Pleasant and Folly Beach have had similar pricetags.

Aggressively pursuing those people who abandoned their boats and making them pay would be good deterrents, and it would ease the sting to taxpayers. The state and some municipalities, including Charleston, Beaufort and Mount Pleasant, have additional penalties for abandoning boats.

Unfortunately, it is difficult and time-consuming to find many of the scofflaws, and even when they are found, they aren't always able to pay for the boats' removal. They did, after all, abandon the boats, possibly because they could no longer afford to get them repaired.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources is the agency that identifies abandoned boats and tries to track down their owners. They report them to DHEC, which has been coordinating with municipalities for their removal and sharing the costs. About 80 have been removed, and OCRM estimates there are between 100 and 200 more.

Unfortunately, the state and federal money allocated for their removal has been spent, and there is no fund to replace it.

So perhaps the best plan is to deal with abandoned boats before they sink and can't be as easily moved or towed.

To that end, OCRM is assembling citizen spotter teams. They will receive training and then use their own boats and OCRM-supplied GPS devices to make detailed reports of abandoned boats. More information is available at DHEC's website, http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/ocrm/vessel_removal.htm.

Boaters in general could offer invaluable assistance by reporting abandoned boats they come upon. OCRM and the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium are collaborating on how best to educate the public on the subject of abandoned boats.

The tragic BP oil spill has highlighted the financial, recreational and aesthetic significance of our nation's waterways and harbors. We should do all we can to preserve South Carolina's beautiful coast, including minimizing damage caused by abandoned boats.