After helping secure an unoccupied, partially submerged vessel in Lake Washington near the Mercer Island shoreline on Aug. 31, the Mercer Island Police Department (MIPD) Marine Patrol has declared the boat as derelict or abandoned because no registered owner could be located.

The Environmental Protection Agency and its contracted dive team secured the vessel — Knot Big Enough — and towed it to shallower waters, where it remains stable just south of the Newcastle Boat Launch in Bellevue, according to the MIPD.

Acting as an authorized public entity with the authority granted in RCW 79.100, MIPD intends to take custody of the vessel on Oct. 3, and may then use or dispose of it without further notice to the owner, according to MIPD, which posted the notice of intent on the city website.

In order to keep the vessel before the custody date, the owner must: Get authorization to moor or anchor the vessel in its current location, or move it to an anchorage area, moorage facility, or storage location that authorizes the vessel; and remove the vessel from the water.

“If the owner wants to reclaim the vessel after the Mercer Island Police Department has custody, or wants to challenge the Mercer Island Police Department’s decision to take custody, the owner must file a written appeal with the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB) and serve a copy on the Mercer Island Police Department,” reads the MIPD notice of intent.

For more information, visit https://www.mercerisland.gov/police/page/mercer-island-marine-patrol-notice-intent-obtain-custody-vessel.