CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – As tourism and developments continue to flourish across Charleston, efforts to preserve and maintain the local environment by cleaning up waterways are one of the top priorities for many local and state agencies.
Charleston’s identity is firmly anchored by its maritime industry.
With miles of tidal creeks and inlets that stretch inland to the open sea, the natural beauty the Holy City has to offer has long served as an oasis for boaters and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Several agencies including Wounded Nature, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Charleston Harbor Police, Charleston County Service Department and Charleston County Landfill came together at Limehouse Boat Landing on Monday to haul an abandoned boat out of the harbor.
This abandoned boat is believed to have once been a sailboat called “Ruth.”
SCDNR said this specific vessel has been on their radar for the last four years, and Monday’s removal is part of an environmental effort to clean up local waterways.
Edwina Wait is a Private First-Class Officer for SCDNR and said the removal ensures the harbor remains a safe and clean space for both commercial and recreational vessels.
“We’re out here, we’re destroying a boat. This boat has been a nuisance in Charleston Harbor for probably the last three to four years. Our officers, at DNR, and also with the Charleston Harbor Patrol have worked with the owners of this vessel, which have been many,” Wait said.
Wait said SCDNR is currently monitoring 35 abandoned vessels in Charleston County.
“Five of them are currently abandoned and need to be removed, the majority of those are sunk in the water, and we need to get them out. Then, another 15 of those I’ve tagged and I’m going through the process with, but all 30 of them are a concern and we’re keeping our eyes on them,” she said.
Wait said they’ve done their best to prevent these boats from sinking or drifting away, something she emphasized is crucial, especially when the owners aren’t attending to their vessels.
“So, if we have any storm event or any mass water influx, these vessels will break anchor, and they’ll go adrift. If they don’t sink where they are, they will drift into other vessels, causing damage. They’ll end up in the marsh and cause destruction to the marsh, grass, so that’s the major issue we have with them,” she said.
Wait said they’re constantly working with boat owners to help manage their vessels, so they don’t become a problem, adding that abandoned boats are often an eyesore.
“We constantly get complaints about the eyesore. People don’t like that their view is interrupted by a lot of these boats, and I understand, but people do have to realize it is public waters below the high watermark, and so they are allowed to anchor there, but they must attend to their boats every 45 days,” she said.
Not only do the abandoned boats disrupt the natural beauty of our waterways, but Wait said they also serve as a potential hazard for marine life and can contribute to the gradual deterioration of the surrounding ecosystem.
Whit Jones is a volunteer with Wounded Nature-Working Veterans, a non-profit that brings volunteers together to remove debris from hard-to-reach coastal areas.
Jones was at Monday’s removal and emphasized that many boats are made from various materials that could harm the local environment.
“Your typical sailboat, or any of these larger vessels, they’re fiberglass construction. They do decompose over time once they sink. You can see behind us all the debris that’s inside that vessel. At some point, they had a motor with petroleum, and you’ve got a sewer if you have an onboard bathroom and stuff. All that stuff leaches in the environment. Once it breaks down, it finds its way into our ecosystems, into our seafood,” he said.
He said he’s been involved in removing many abandoned boats from waterways, but Monday’s removal marked a significant first in terms of collaborating with county services.
Wait added that if the owner doesn’t attend to their boat within 45 days, it’s considered abandoned, and that’s when DNR steps in.
She said now that DNR has partnered with Charleston County, they might be able to do these abandoned boat removals more often, however, she mentioned that funding for the demolitions is still a challenge.
“Unfortunately, on the state side, we don’t have any funding to destroy these vessels. But whenever Wounded Nature has the ability to get funding, we go ahead and we prep,” Wait said.
Jones said they were supposed to remove three vessels on Monday but were only able to remove “Ruth”; One of the other boats took on more water than the towboat could handle, and the other was too damaged to be moved.
Wait said the remnants of “Ruth” will be taken to a landfill.
She added that this removal was just one chapter in an ongoing fight to preserve the harbor’s beauty and health.
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Abandoned boat removed from Charleston Harbor
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