Abandoned and derelict vessels: inventory.

Assembly Member Ransom's proposal to catalog abandoned and derelict vessels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would require the State Lands Commission to create a comprehensive inventory by January 2027. The inventory would document both commercial vessels - including ferries, tugs, barges, and military craft - and recreational vessels throughout the Delta's 700 miles of waterways, contingent upon legislative funding.

The mandated inventory would compile detailed information about each vessel, including size, weight, potential hazardous materials, proximity to water sources, and estimated removal costs. The commission could gather this data through aerial surveys or by aggregating existing information from federal, state and local agencies. The resulting database would categorize vessels by county, type, and size to provide a systematic assessment of the Delta's vessel abandonment challenges.

The bill's findings note that the Delta serves as California's largest freshwater tidal estuary on the West Coast, providing crucial habitat while supporting drinking water delivery to 29 million residents and irrigation for the state's agricultural sector. The findings also indicate that abandoned vessels often contain hazardous materials from their construction and use, including solvents, asbestos, PCBs, lead paint, and petroleum products. The Legislature determined that the Delta's unique network of sloughs and waterways necessitates targeted policy attention beyond general vessel abandonment statutes.