HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A houseboat that has been under the waters of Lake Lanier for several months is finally being removed from the shoreline.
“Six Pack Sally” was discovered this spring sinking near lake marker 4 OC in Hall County. It is set to be removed on Oct. 8.
The effort will be completed by the Lake Lanier Association, in coordination with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Hall County.
This is the first vessel to be removed using funds allocated by the state for fiscal year 2020 specifically for abandoned and derelict vessel removal on Lake Lanier. Hall County is matching a portion of the state funds for Hall County specific issues.
The story behind “Sally” is one that many visitors to the lake know. She was allegedly bought for a six pack of beer, according to Jennifer Flowers, the Lake Lanier Association executive director.
With dreams of living on a houseboat, the new owner had it towed across the lake and secured it to the shore. Tragically, she said, the vessel began to sink beneath the water of Lake Lanier, along with the life-long dream of houseboat ownership.
“This really is a sad situation where someone thought they were getting the opportunity of a lifetime and ended up with a $10,000 mess. Sinking houseboats like these can cause many problems for the lake from being a safety hazard for boaters to leaching chemicals in the water,” Flowers said.
“Steel hull houseboats have been some of the hardest sinking vessels to tackle over the past five years. Buyers need to beware and always have a hull inspection completed prior to purchase whether the boat costs six figures or a six pack.”
Abandoned boats, docks litter Lake Lanier
John Barker with the Lake Lanier Association previously told 11Alive that the process is not easy -- or cheap.
“You have to send in a crew. First, they have to float the vessel. Once they get it on top of the water they have to drain the water out of it,” explains Barker. “Then you have get it to the ramp, get in a low boy trailer, which is not a usual trailer. It has a very unique design.”
Once the boat or dock is on dry land, it has to be hauled to the metal recyclers. The recyclers don’t work for free - they are paid to strip the boat and recycle the metal. The total cost to remove a boat or dock: $10,000 - $15,000.
While the jagged metal and wood breaking free and endangering people are the most immediate concern, there are also long-term environmental issues.
“This is a water supply for 5 million people or more for the state of Georgia and it’s going into our water system,” worries Barker.
Every boat carries gas and oil, which will leak if the boat remains in the water. The neighbors who had the houseboat sinking in their cove are worried about how it will affect the big turtle who’s called their cove home for years. What those contaminants will do to the fish population is also unknown.
“You could actually see a petroleum sheen on the water,” says Barker. “You could see the oil and gas leaking out on the water.”
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