Abandoned and sinking boat to be removed from Lake Tahoe near Pope Beach

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As it seems to be the normal each winter, a boat is sinking off the shore of Lake Tahoe. This time it is a boat near Pope Beach that has become a topic of conversation on Next Door and other social media sites.

A few weeks ago the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) was notified of this most recent vessel, as was the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Both responded to make sure no people were in danger and that no gasoline was leaking into the lake. During the winter, law enforcement will reach out to other agencies that have boats on the water that are able to respond. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is also involved with the boat at Pope Beach, and helped handle the sunken sailboat off El Dorado Beach two years ago.

What happens next is not a quick process, and the boat is still attached to a mooring and has sunk and is resting on the sand. What appears today is small portion of the boat is visible, as shown in the photograph above.

High Sierra Marine has been hired to get the boat out as removal is not up to the USCG or EDSO. It is not a quick process if an owner is not found, or is unwilling to pay the costs involved.

There are reasons boats become submerged in Tahoe - high winds and storms that cause the boat to take on water, and boats that are not prepared for the rain and wind. USCG says there are several boats damaged in this manner each year on Lake Tahoe and they end up sinking. Boats are tied up and can't move around much in the wind-caused waves, causing damage to hulls. USCG said he boats are not usually abandoned, just not prepared for winter.

"High Sierra Marine is working on the project in an attempt to recover the boat, store the boat, and dispose of the boat as the law allows," said EDSO Sgt. Eric Palmberg. "After the boat is recovered it will have to be stored while the process of contacting the registered owner is completed. There are laws that prevent the boat being destroyed or disposed of until certain processes with the owner are completed."

TRPA has a limited role with sunken boats but they do investigate and take on an active role with other agencies.

"Nobody points a finger," said Jeff Cowen of TRPA about the team effort in these situations. "When this boat went down, the Coast Guard didn't see anything leaking or unsafe. A spill would have been taken care of."

Cowen said this boat at Pope Beach is abandoned on a legal mooring, and the owner of the mooring wants the sunken boat out of there as does the rest of the public that sees if from the beach. He said the owner of the boat cannot be contacted.

There is no funding source for these types of situations but Lahontan Regional Water Board and TRPA are looking for a fund or abatement fees that can help. Cowen said Steve Sweet of their agency kept on the El Dorado Beach sunken boat owner, visiting his home, and working with him to get that boat out of the water.

Palmberg said there is no specific timeline of boat removal at this point.