See Something Say Something: Abandoned Boats
Keeping Lake Lanier clean and safe is one of our most important tasks.
Boats are being abandoned on Lake Lanier
As a lake community we can stop this practice.
Abandoned and dumped boats create hazards around the lake. As they deteriorate, they can sink, break apart and leach oil, gas and battery acid into the lake. This is safety and pollution issue for Lake Lanier.
In an effort to stop this practice, or find those boats already abandoned or sunk we need your help. It is as simple as if you see something, say something.
At some point boats will reach their end of life. They are no longer worth fixing or they have possibly had a catastrophic failure that results in the boat sinking. The latter is especially true with old steel hulled houseboats. When an owner no longer wants a boat, it needs to be removed properly from the lake. Over the years we have found many boats tied and dumped to shore.
There are fewer boats abandoned today than when the Abandoned Boat and Dock program was started, however it still happens a few times a year.
Boat dumping can be stopped if people keep their eyes out for abnormal behavior.
What we can all do to stop this:
See Something Say Something
Take Pictures
If you see an abandoned boat or if you see a boat being moved across the lake or into or out of a cove, that you think might be a candidate for dumping, take a photo and get as much information as you can. To the extent practical, photograph identifying markers of any boats involved. Including as applicable any registration numbers.
Additionally, know your lake area, if you see someone bringing a boat into a cove and it does not seem logical or seems off, take a picture. Dumping is illegal and can be prosecuted. With your help we can obtain the proof and information needed to find the person(s) responsible.
Report it
When you have the photos, report the issue to LLA
The same is true if you see a dock being towed across the lake.
Volunteer to be an LLA See Something Say Something area point person.
When we hear about an issue, area point people can be our first line of communication for any of our see something say something issues. If there is an area that you live on or frequent and we know a development is coming to that area, we would like to let you know to be on the look out for issues. If a dumped dock has been reported in your area, we would reach out to see if you have seen anything. Think of it as dedicated eyes on the ground that we know that we can reach out to if we have any questions. We hope to build a network for watching over Lake Lanier. If you are interested, in being an area point person, please fill out a volunteer form and let us know.
