As crews build out the North Shore for the NFL Draft that opens in 50 days, another project is now underway: clearing abandoned boats from the rivers.
Michael Hills, president of the Pittsburgh Safe Boating Council, said there has long been an effort to rid Allegheny County of abandoned boats. But since a new state law on derelict boats took effect in January, the process has accelerated.
On Wednesday, Hills said law enforcement departments have begun coordinating with Pittsburgh’s marine salvors to remove abandoned vessels that “shouldn’t be there during the NFL Draft.”
Marine salvors are specialized, expert contractors that rescue vessels, cargo or crew, often preventing environmental catastrophes.
The Pittsburgh Safe Boating Council is made up of several boating businesses, organizations and government agencies including Allegheny Cleanways, Friends of the Riverfront, Freedom Boat Club of Pittsburgh and local chapters of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
The council began working with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard three to four years ago to find a way to remove abandoned and derelict vessels from Pittsburgh’s waterways, Hills said.
But due to roadblocks from jurisdiction and liability issues, Hills said, “nobody wanted to touch them.”
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission did not respond to request for comment on Wednesday.
In Allegheny County there are currently 21 sunken and abandoned boats within 5 to 10 nautical miles of Downtown Pittsburgh, according to a map put together by Pittsburgh Safe Boating Council and Three Rivers Waterkeeper.
In the North Shore alone, along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, there are two abandoned boats. On the other side of the David McCullough Bridge (at 16th Street), the map also show an abandoned boat lying sideways in the Allegheny River.
State Rep. Anita Kulik, D-Carnegie, introduced the bill that was signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro in the beginning of July.
The bill, Act 28, outlines new procedures. There is a 14-day public notice period and then the boat’s owners have 30 days to remove the boat from the water. If they fail to do so, they have misdemeanor charges of up to $2,500 and must pay restitution charges for the removal and disposing of the boat.
Pitt Marine Towing LLC owner Jack Novak said the new law helps create a “fast-tracked way” to get rid of the boats and protect people who remove boats from the water from legal liability if the boat gets damaged.
“Ultimately the goal is hold people accountable … hopefully we’ll be able to clean up what is already left there,” Novak said.
Three Rivers Waterkeeper Evan Clark, who captains one of non-profit’s boats, said so far five boats have been pulled off of the land in the Allegheny County area.
Now, with more legal protections in place for salvors, Clark said he is excited to “address the boats in the water.”
Hills said some of the sunken boats are decades old, with their registration numbers removed by the elements. Others have been abandoned only in the last few months.
While Hills estimates that 90% of the boats still have registration, he said many of the boats have been abandoned for financial reasons. The owner may not be able to pay restitution immediately.
“There’s lots of people, especially post-pandemic, who have gotten into boating, and that’s a lovely thing, that’s what we want,” Hill said. “But there are some people who have bought boats cheaply, thinking they could get into boating inexpensively.”