The City of Morro Bay received $15,000 of a state grant to remove five abandoned and surrendered vessels, city officials said.
The Morro Bay Harbor Department removed the abandoned boats contracted to be removed Wednesday morning. All hazardous waste was removed from the vessels before Harbor Patrol officers towed them to the launch ramp.
City officials said the Harbor Department has applied for a Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange (SAVE) grant from the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways before. The amount of grant awarded varies each year depending on the competing agencies that needed state assistance and the number of vessels the city wanted to remove.
Harbor Patrol officers said they had to drag the boats up the public launch ramp because the city did not have a large enough haul-out facility to complete the work.
The ramp was still open to the public with delays throughout the process. Officers said they tried to schedule demolition work outside of fishing season when there is less demand for the launch ramp.
