Abandoned, derelict 'pirate' boats still a headache on Willamette River

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) --Spend time on the Willamette River just south of downtown Portland, and it’s tough to miss the dozens of downtrodden vessels barely afloat.

Deputy Chad Diekmann with Multnomah County’s River Patrol sees a mix of abandoned, derelict and illegal boats every single day.

"I don't like to use the term ‘pirated’ boats, but these are people living on the water illegally," said Diekmann.

Anyone who uses the Willamette regularly knows it isn’t a new problem, but it is getting some fresh attention.

“There's a lot of concern I hear from people, 'Hey, what's happening with the waste from those boats?' I'll be honest, often times I don't know," Diekmann said.

On the day KOIN 6 News tagged along, Diekmann and his partner were the only river unit patrolling more than 100 miles of waterways in Multnomah County. That isn’t atypical.

To say they are stretched thin during warm, summer days would be an understatement.

"We’re looking at wakeboarding, a lot of tubing, water skiing, and mixed with that commercial traffic," he said. “There’s a lot to manage.”

The deputies work closely with the Oregon State Marine Board to pinpoint, tag and then -- if necessary -- seize or remove longtime problem boats.

Diekmann pointed out one such sailboat near the beach at Tom McCall Waterfront Park as he zipped up the river.

“So, that sailboat over there, we came through here yesterday and noticed it there. So, that sticker is actually a pre-seizure notice from the state marine board and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office."

The list of what qualifies a vessel as "derelict" is long, but one overriding factor is a boat remaining in one general place for more than 30 days.

Once tagged, a seizure clock begins during which a boat’s owner can relocate it, or try to explain to authorities why they can’t move it. After that, it faces seizure and removal. Technically, boatowners are supposed to reply to the pre-seizure notice within a couple weeks, but Diekmann says often that doesn't happen.

"[We're] working on getting it removed. That's great if that happens, but we'll just see where that process goes ultimately," he said.

Active enforcement frequently comes down to priorities, manpower, and until more recently, steady funding.

Thanks to $1 million in specially designated funding through the America Recovery Plan Act, the marine board has worked to make removals of abandoned derelict vessels, or ADVs, a larger priority in the Willamette metro.

During the past three years:

• 2022- 25 vessels removed
• 2023- 19 removed
• 2024- 28 removed so far (10+ more planned by year's end)

The progress isn’t lost on Bob Sallinger, who runs the non-profit Willamette Riverkeeper.

"In many cases, it comes down to, do we have the funding resources to be more proactive," said Sallinger.

The longtime Oregonian is passionate about the environment, specifically the river and the creatures that call it home.

For years, he and other advocates have bemoaned the problem boats, because it’s often those same vessels that end up half submerged, or even on the riverbed floor.

"A lot of these vessels that are ‘camping,’ eventually they go to the bottom. That becomes a public liability. It's the taxpayer that ultimately deals with the habitat, the pollution, the contamination," said Sallinger.

His group’s volunteers routinely encounter piles of trash, encampments and other waste that he says at least partially stems from those living aboard their boats.

"There's been outhouses on docks in the middle of the river. There have been boats that sunk. There's damage to the shoreline, people coming and going from those vessels, cutting firewood, camping on the shores, appropriating the shores," said Sallinger. “Often times, it’s a very hostile atmosphere.”

He stressed that there needs to be affordable, housing alternatives for those who consider the river “their home,” but that a constant presence of boats around places like Ross Island isn’t sustainable.

Diekmann agrees, and hopes the state continues to beef up funding when it comes to policing boaters.

"We’ll just see where that process goes," he said.

Last year, the state budget finally included millions in dedicated funding for the removal of ADVs, although those dollars will be split between efforts to also cleanup the Columbia, coastal bays or inlets, and other waterways statewide.

The designated Willamette metro funding must be used by the end of 2024.