At least 31 abandoned boats have washed up on the county’s shores since 2021, leading to thousands of dollars in cleanup costs.

As the number of abandoned boats increases, Santa Barbara County will try to find a way to address the number of crashed vessels and intervene before they become a costly mess.

The county Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 on Tuesday to have staff review the county ordinance to determine its legal options and what amendments it could make to support enforcement, cost recovery and intervention.

Wade Cowper, chief of staff for First District Supervisor Roy Lee, presented the issue to the board.

Abandoned and shipwrecked boats have been an ongoing issue for the county, which sees an average of six to 10 wrecks each year, he said.

Many of these wreckages occur along the Montecito and Summerland areas of the coast, creating a hazard to the public and blocking public access to the beach.

The price to remove a wreck usually costs between $5,000 and $15,000, but the expense could be higher based on the difficulty of the operation. The average cost for the removal of a crashed ship is $7,000.

“The major challenge is that the vessels are uninsured, and owners often do not take responsibility once the boat goes ashore,” Cowper said. “That leaves public agencies and community partners scrambling after that damage is already done.”

Operations can require the collaboration between the county, the California Coastal Commission, the Coast Guard, nonprofits, landowners and contractors.

Removing the ships can also be hindered by tides, storms and high surf.

Complicating the cleanup process is the presence of hazardous materials in the wreckage. A wreck can contain fuel, oil, batteries, sewage, plastics, fiberglass, and other debris that must be removed before a boat is broken down.

Karina Johnston, executive director of Heal the Ocean, said abandoned boats can slowly break apart and leak these pollutants into the water. The resulting mess can lead to environmental and public safety hazards.

Heal the Ocean is a nonprofit dedicated to reducing ocean pollution and improving ocean health.

Since 2021, the organization has removed more than 30 boats and has paid for many of the removals itself.

Johnston said the group has worked closely with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office to secure funding for the cleanups, but that funding was reduced this year.

The funding it received was only enough for one boat and went toward a past wreckage.

“This experience demonstrates that the need is significantly greater than the resources currently available,” she told the board. “As we face the potential for increased storms and impacts associated with El Niño conditions, these derelict boats are likely to become additional hazards and more problematic.”

Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann said she supports finding money in the short term to support the cleanups, but thinks the issue is a state responsibility since the boats are moving through different regions.

Hartmann suggested adopting some of the laws passed by Washington state that regulate boat sales.

The laws include requiring people buying used boats to purchase 12 months of insurance that includes the cost of removal in case of a wreck.

She also highlighted an inspection program that looks for boat disposals disguised as sales. The program reviews boats to see if the cost to repair them is higher than the value of the boat and blocks the sale if the value is too low.

“They’re really just trying to get rid of it, and people who don’t know buy these things,” Hartmann said. “And then we, the taxpayers of the county (or) Heal the Ocean, ends up holding the bag.”