Oakland Estuary Cleanup To Haul 16 Boats
On Wednesday, Lind Marine began the long-awaited removal of sunken boats on the Oakland Estuary. Sixteen wrecks are being removed as part of the NOAA marine debris-removal grant of $3.16 million to clean up the Estuary. Brock de Lappe has been an enormous advocate for the Estuary, and along with Mary Spicer of I Heart Oakland and Alameda Estuary and other Estuary boosters, has managed to stir the slow wheels of bureaucracy to get a cleanup underway.
The Oakland Police Department Marine Unit announced the removal program at a press conference held on Thursday. The OPD said an enforcement strategy was developed in partnership with the City of Oakland and the city attorney’s office. Officers worked to identify vessels, issue notices, and arrange voluntary surrenders, traveling as far as Sacramento and San Jose to locate owners and secure vessels for removal.
“This is what partnership looks like,” Oakland Police Chief James Beere said in a press release. “This effort is more than removing abandoned vessels. It’s about protecting our waterways and making sure Oaklanders and visitors can safely access their waterfront. I’m proud of the work of our Marine Unit and grateful to the partners and community members who are helping us reclaim these public spaces.”
While OPD recognizes and thanks the nonprofit I Heart Oakland-Alameda Estuary (whose more than 100 volunteers participated in a shoreline cleanup last weekend), we want to be sure that a huge thank-you also goes to Brock de Lappe. Brock has been working and advocating for a cleaner Estuary for what now amounts to years! Thank you, Brock!
We know that some cleanup has been taking place at various times over the past year or so. Latitude delivery driver Bob Bodnar was over near Jack London Square earlier this month and watched Lind Marine removing some boats. “Mostly powerboats but one sailboat,” Bob says. But hey, each boat removed leads toward a cleaner, safer Estuary.
According to the OPD press release, the City of Oakland has secured more than $3 million in state and federal grants to support ongoing cleanup efforts, including vessel removal, public education and shoreline cleanups. We look forward to seeing the results of this grant.
Thank you Brock D. and John A. for your endless efforts.
There are numerous people involved in making this cleanup happen. Former lead OPD marine patrol officer Kaleo Albino and Joe DeVries worked with Mary Spicer to prepare the NOAA debris removal grant application in 2023. Heather Krakora and Tom Horton from the Jack London Aquatic Center highlighted the crime and safety issues brought by the anchor-outs. Mike Gowan who works with the junior sailing program at the Encinal Yacht Club was a consistent voice for cleanup after pirates stole coaching boats from the club. Isabel Chamberlain at BCDC brought firm pressure on the City of Oakland to remove the anchor-outs that had accumulated on the estuary. Ryan Smith, the current lead of the OPD marine patrol unit responded in June removing over 50 abandoned and derelict vessels, totally clearing the cove at JLAC. And importantly there is the strong commitment from Oakland Police Chief James Beere to maintain active on-the-water enforcement going forward to prevent a recurrence of this problem. This bodes well for the return of Oakland’s Gold Coast.
One other very important player, Lind Marine. It has been quite quite the experience watching them demo and recover these sunken wrecks. The site is first fully boomed off to prevent the escape of any loose debris. The crane operator is truly phenomenal and operates the hydraulic clamshell with a fine touch. And the crew scoops up every last speck of debris from inside the boom before moving on to the next wreck. Absolutely masterful!