The Texas General Land Office is partnering with the City of Corpus Christi and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to offer local coastal Texans the opportunity to remove inoperable and derelict vessels through the Vessel Turn-In Program.
This program is designed to provide owners with a voluntary method of disposal.
The 2nd annual Vessel Turn-In program is designed to provide owners with a voluntary free method for the disposal of unwanted boats.
"Inoperable boats or illegally sunken boats can cause environmental damage to the surrounding waterways and also makes it dangerous for boat operators to navigate waterways if they are inside or sunken in the water. It is also a free and legal way to dispose of these boats," said Code Enforcement Superintendent David Prado.
The boats will be delivered to the drop-off point, where it will be verified that each qualifies for disposal, and all hazardous materials, such as fuel, oil and batteries, will be removed, and the vessel will be destroyed.
"We do require documentation that you are the owner or the vessel belongs to you. If you go by www.cctexas.com/vtip, you can see the qualification for the paper work, and you can bring that by with you," said Prado.
The program is for boats less than 26 feet long. Longer boats may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. They may even help you find a way to drop it off, too.
"That is correct, but if you contact us, we can figure out a way to bring it there by getting you in contact with a towing company to drop it off here," said Prado.
Last year, more than 30 vessels were destroyed, and with Hurricane Harvey pounding the Texas coast, those numbers are expected to double.
"That is why we brought more equipment here to handle that in case we do have an influx of boats and trailers that we need to dismantle. It is a need, and it is going to be a continued necessity throughout the years to come," said Prado.
The Vessel Turn-In program will not only be taking boats, but they will also be taking personal water crafts, like jet skis, and waverunners.
Derelict vessels aren’t just expensive to remove, they can also hurt the environment either through leaking fuel or other substances on board or from physical damage.
If the state or county can find the vessel’s registered owner, that person can be charged with fines or even a crime.
Pre-registration is not required, but will help save time during drop-off.
Vessels can then be brought to the Laguna Madre Wastewater Treatment Plant located at 201 Jester Street in Flour Bluff between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, Tuesday, April 24 through Saturday, April 28.
Go to www.cctexas.com/vtip to pre-register for drop-off.
