Taxpayers may be on the hook for the costs of cleaning up a 32-foot boat that was dumped on the side of a busy road in Mission Valley. The abandoned boat had a second boat inside of it filled with garbage.
No one knows who dumped the boat or how they did it. But a tie down attaching the boat to a power pole is a good indication as to how it happened.
Kevin Brown with San Diego Boat Movers said whoever did this likely tied the boat down to the pole, and slid the flatbed truck or trailer out from underneath it, leaving it on the ground.
The boats were discovered on Camino Del Rio South at Mission City Parkway Monday morning by NBC 7 viewer Anthony Wagner on his way into work.
“You see people dumping their sofas and abandoning other household items,” Wagner said. “I’ve never seen anybody put a 32-foot boat on the side of the road and just walk away from it. It’s ridiculous.”
Jose Ysea, Public Information Officer for the City of San Diego, noted the high voltage power lines overhead near the dumping site makes the clean-up job dangerous for city works.
“It definitely puts a strain on our resources and what we’re going to need to be able to deal with this type of mess out here,” said Ysea.
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Brown hauls and disposes of boats daily, but he says he’s never seen a 12,000- to 15,000-pound boat dumped on the side of the road.
“I’ve seen broken down trailers and stuff like that where we’ve had to remove boats, but not just dumped on purpose,” Brown said.
Brown told NBC 7 the job will likely cost the city thousands of dollars. Hazardous materials like gas tanks and wiring have to be properly disposed of before the boat can go to the dump.
On March 21 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the city is hosting a free community clean-up event at Qualcomm Stadium where residents can bring furniture, appliances and electronics, although hazardous waste will not be accepted.
In the coming days, the city will come up with a safe plan to remove the litter and then begin hauling it away.
