HBJ Staff
Older and sometimes abandoned marine vessels are often at risk of sinking, spilling oil, fuel and hazardous materials into waterways.
Removing and disposing of these old boats is a priority for the state Department of Ecology. But relatively few facilities are permitted to perform this work.
So the state agency is developing a new water quality permit to allow these vessels to be taken apart over water. And the agency is asking for public comments on the approach.
The proposed vessel deconstruction permit would define the appropriate requirements to prevent the discharge of pollutants during deconstruction.
The new permit would cover individual vessels, allowing people who obtain the permits to dismantle the vessel while afloat. That will create cost savings and additional options when deconstruction at a shipyard isn’t feasible. Final deconstruction would need to be done at facilities permitted to perform this work.
The state agency enlisted an advisory committee of industry experts in developing the permit.
It will hold a public hearing and workshop at 1 p.m. Aug. 19 at South Seattle Community College Georgetown, room C122, 6737 Corson Ave. S., Seattle.
Comments can be emailed to Vincent McGowan, or mailed to McGowan at Washington Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.
All comments must be received by midnight Aug. 22.
Ecology expects to finalize the permit in October.
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